夸赞 is a compound verb meaning 'to praise highly' or 'to laud'. It combines two characters with closely related meanings: 夸 (kuā) means 'to boast' or 'to exaggerate in praise', and 赞 (zàn) means 'to commend' or 'to approve'. Together, they emphasize sincere, enthusiastic, and often public appreciation — stronger than simple 赞 (zàn) alone but less formal than 颂扬 (sòngyáng). It’s commonly used in spoken and written Chinese when someone expresses warm admiration for a person’s achievement, character, or effort.

This word carries positive emotional weight and is frequently heard in family conversations, teacher-student interactions, workplace feedback, and media commentary. While it can be used reflexively (e.g., 他总爱夸赞自己), it most often appears in third-person or second-person contexts where the speaker affirms another’s merits. It avoids sarcasm unless tone or context clearly signals irony — otherwise, it conveys genuine respect and encouragement.