Both mean happy. 嬉しい is an i-adjective, and 幸せ is a na-adjective. If I want to say, "The happy boy studied at the library", which one should I use? The boy in the sentence is feeling happy at the moment.
嬉しい男の子が図書館で勉強しました。
or
幸せな男の子が図書館で勉強しました。
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4Neither of your sentences sounds right... Do you mean (you think/the boy thought/the boy felt) he was (happy/lucky/in good circumstance) (because/irrelevant to) that he could study there? – broccoli forest Jan 27 '16 at 21:10
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嬉しい nowadays is mostly used to express your happiness during a certain moment or time, and it's usually brief periods of joy and related to a close event(either by speech or by time). For example, if you just got a package you waited for, you'll be 嬉しい. If you passed your test, you're going to be 嬉しい.
幸せ(な) is used to express long-term joy, or put more simply, happiness. For example, if you're describing a happy family, you can say 幸せな家族. It has the general meaning of happiness while 嬉しい is for the immediate meaning of joy derived from a certain moment or event.
- うちは幸せな結婚生活ですよ。
- それは嬉しいことですね。
His marriage is filled with しあわせ, and he's うれしい about it.
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4「**私**は幸せな結婚生活ですよ。」 does not sound very natural. 「うち」 would be a far more common word choice here. – l'électeur Jan 28 '16 at 1:09
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I think 嬉しい男の子 is unnatural. 嬉しい is rarely used in modifying nouns. If you use it as a modifier, it should be 嬉しそうな.
I think 幸せな男の子が図書館で勉強しました is no problem, but if a third person describes another person's emotion or condition, attaching そうな to them is better.
