taru-adjective, adverb taking the 'to' particle
Literary or formal expression describing a state of visible happiness or delight. Often used adverbially with と (嬉々として) or as a たる adjective in written language.
He cheerfully took on the task.
The children were playing with joyful expressions.
楽しそう is a casual, everyday way to describe someone looking happy. 嬉々 is more formal and often implies visible, almost radiant joy.
Standard kanji spelling for this literary adverb/adjective.
Alternate kanji spelling using 喜; seen but less frequent.
Variant kanji spelling; less common than 嬉々.
Rare variant spelling.
Rarely used kanji form.
Rarely used kanji form.
Reduplication of the kanji 嬉 (joy) to emphasize the state. The reading き is the on'yomi. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the form is used in classical and literary Japanese.