欢迎 (huān yíng) means 'welcome' and functions both as a verb ('to welcome') and a noun ('a welcome'). The first character 欢 (huān) means 'joy' or 'delight', and the second character 迎 (yíng) means 'to meet' or 'to greet'. Together, they literally convey 'meeting with joy' — capturing the warm, positive feeling of receiving someone gladly. It’s commonly used in greetings, invitations, signs, announcements, and hospitality contexts.

This word is neutral in register and appropriate for formal and informal situations alike — from a hotel sign saying '欢迎光临' (Welcome!) to a friend saying '欢迎来我家' (Welcome to my home!). Unlike some English uses of 'welcome', 欢迎 is rarely used as an interjection on its own (e.g., you wouldn’t say just '欢迎!' as a reply to 'thank you'); instead, it appears in full phrases like '不客气，欢迎下次再来' (You’re welcome; feel free to come again!).