笑う

Japanese

Kanji in this term
わら
Grade: 4
kun’yomi

Etymology

Derived from verb 割る (waru, to split, to break, to crack), as imperfect form wara- + auxiliary verb (fu, indicating repetition or ongoing state: modern verb ending u): "to be in the act of cracking up / breaking open".[1]

Pronunciation

Alternative forms

  • (to bloom; to ripen): (less common) 咲う
  • (to make fun of): (less common) 嗤う

Verb

笑う (intransitive, godan conjugation, hiragana わらう, rōmaji warau, historical hiragana わらふ)

  1. to spontaneously express joy or amusement by means of the voice or facial expression:
    1. to laugh
    2. to smile
      マイクがよく (わら)いますよね。
      Maiku ga yoku waraimasu yo ne.
      Mike laughs / smiles a lot, doesn't he.
  2. to split open (as a plant bud), to bloom
     (さくら) (はな) (わら)
    sakura no hana ga warau
    the cherry flowers bloom
  3. to split open from ripening (as fruit or vegetables)
     (くり) (わら)っている () ()
    kuri ga waratte iru jiki
    the season when the chestnuts ripen and split open
  4. (figuratively) to bud, become green and verdant, and bloom in spring (as the landscape)
     (やま) () (しき) (わら)
    yama no keshiki ga warau
    the mountain landscape comes alive / quickens / blooms
  5. to come undone (as a stitch or seam)
     () () (わら)っている
    nuime ga waratte iru
    the seam is coming open
  6. (slang) to become weak and wobbly (as in the knees)
     (ひざ) (わら)
    hiza ga warau
    go wobbly in the knees

笑う (transitive, godan conjugation, hiragana わらう, rōmaji warau, historical hiragana わらふ)

  1. to laugh at, to make fun of, to make a fool of
    ジュディは (わたし) (わら)った
    Judi wa watashi o waratta.
    Judy laughed at me / made fun of me / made a fool of me.

Conjugation

Synonyms

Idioms

Derived terms

References

  1. 1988, 国語大辞典(新装版) (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
  2. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN
  4. 1 2 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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