smile, laugh
On'yomi (音読み)
- ショウ
- セウ
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- わら.う
- え.む
About this kanji
The kanji 笑, pronounced "しょう" in on'yomi and "わら.う" in kun'yomi, primarily means "to smile" or "to laugh." It is commonly used as a verb but also appears in several useful compounds. For example, 微笑 (びしょう) means "smile," while 笑顔 (えがお) translates to "smiling face." Another related term is 笑い (わらい), which means "laughter." These compounds illustrate how the concept of smiling and laughing is central in daily conversation. A quick note is that while 笑ai often describes laughter in a more general sense, 笑顔 refers specifically to the joyful expression on someone's face that shows they are happy.
Built from
Example sentences
彼のジョークに笑ってしまった。
I couldn't help but laugh at his joke.
Meanings across languages
- English
- smile, laugh
- Tiếng Việt
- cười, mỉm cười
- 日本語
- 笑う, 笑み
- 한국어
- 웃음, 웃다
- 中文
- 微笑, 笑
- id
- senyum, tawa
- th
- ยิ้ม, หัวเราะ
- es
- sonrisa, risa
- fr
- sourire, rire
- de
- Lächeln, Lachen
- pt
- sorriso, risada
Common compounds
- 微笑びしょうsmile
- 笑顔えがおsmiling face
- 笑いわらいlaughter
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