The Meaning of warau [笑う] In Japanese

笑う
わらう
Romaji: warau N5

What does 笑う mean?

Translation and Meaning

to laugh, to smile

Definition

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.

Type

verb (godan, 五段動詞)

Stroke Order

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

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

Usage

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.
💡 Tips
  • Mnemonic: the bamboo radical on top of 笑 evokes laughter rising; imagine a person laughing with a mouth wide open as you see the kanji

Variations

  • 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

Example Phrases

  • 会社の同僚の冗談に、私は思わず笑う。
    Kaisha no dōryō no jōdan ni, watashi wa omowazu warau.
    I can’t help but laugh at my coworker’s joke.
    Lista:
    • 会社 (kaisha) – company
    • の (no) – possessive/attributive
    • 同僚 (dōryō) – coworker
    • の (no) – possessive/attributive
    • 冗談 (jōdan) – joke
    • に (ni) – to / at
    • 私 (watashi) – I
    • は (wa) – topic marker
    • 思わず (omowazu) – unintentionally
    • 笑う (warau) – to laugh
    The verb 「笑う」 is intransitive; in this sentence 「思わず笑う」 expresses an involuntary reaction.
笑う