hehe

¹ American  

[hee-hee] / ˈhiˈhi /

Also heehee,

interjection

1. (used as an exclamation or representation of laughter, as in expressing amusement, embarrassment, or derision.)

---

noun

1. a giggle or titter.

Hehe ² American  

[hey-hey] / ˈheɪˌheɪ /

noun

1. a member of an Indigenous people of southern Tanzania.

2. the Bantu language of the Hehe.

---

adjective

1. of or relating to the Hehe, an indigenous people of southern Tanzania, or to their language.

Etymology

Origin of hehe¹

First recorded before 1000; of expressive origin

Origin of Hehe²

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

"Today I finished my Death Doula training, on The Art of Death Midwifery training course by @sacred_crossings so I guess I'm an almost certified death doula now hehe," the actress wrote.

From Fox News • Mar. 22, 2021

By 2015, when Facebook conducted a study of e-laughter on its platform, haha and hehe, followed by the laughing emoji, were among the most common types of laughs.

From New York Times • Jul. 8, 2017

While the average age of emoji users is slightly lower than fans of haha, users who chose hehe and lol tended to be older.

From The Guardian • Aug. 10, 2015

However, while Larson in her piece postulates that hehe is a thing “foisted upon us by youth”, Facebook’s data showed this not to be the case.

From The Guardian • Aug. 10, 2015

Alle þat beod 30 hehe ⁊ for hehe iheorted. þe aetri neddre; þe ond fule. ⁊ þe luþere iþonked. wredfule þe unicorne.

From Selections from early Middle English, 1130-1250 Part I: Texts by Hall, Joseph