Word
笑う
Meaning in Englishlaugh, smile
Animated kanji stroke order
Sentence
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Word context
What it means
What does 笑う mean? It means to laugh or to smile, expressing amusement, joy, or lighthearted emotion; it covers both genuine laughter and a simple, pleasant smile in social interactions.
Main meanings
- to laugh aloud or show amusement
- to smile, especially a visible, open expression of joy
- to laugh at someone or something in a teasing or mocking way
How to use it
Used in everyday conversation to describe genuine laughter or a smile, with polite forms 笑います in formal contexts; in narrative or descriptive prose it portrays characters reacting to humor or cheerfulness and appears in idioms and fixed expressions about laughter.
Variants and close terms
- 微笑む (びしょうむ) — to smile softly
- ほほえむ (ほほえむ) — to smile
- 嘲笑う (ちょうしょう) — to sneer or ridicule
Composition
- 笑: the semantic kanji meaning laugh or smile
- う: the okurigana that marks the verb inflection, turning the noun-like kanji into the verb meaning to laugh or smile
Word class
verb (godan, 五段動詞)
Kanji