笑う

Japanese

Kanji in this term
笑
わら Grade: 4
kun'yomi

Alternative forms

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

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) わらう [wàráú] (Heiban – [0])^[2][3][4]
• IPA^(key): [β̞a̠ɾa̠ɯ̟]

Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Stem forms
Terminal (終止形) Attributive (連体形)	笑う	わらう	[wàráú]
Imperative (命令形)	笑え	わらえ	[wàráé]
Key constructions
Passive	笑われる	わらわれる	[wàráwárérú]
Causative	笑わせる	わらわせる	[wàráwásérú]
Potential	笑える	わらえる	[wàráérú]
Volitional	笑おう	わらおー	[wàráóꜜò]
Negative	笑わない	わらわない	[wàráwánáí]
Negative perfective	笑わなかった	わらわなかった	[wàráwánáꜜkàttà]
Formal	笑います	わらいます	[wàráímáꜜsù]
Perfective	笑った	わらった	[wàráttá]
Conjunctive	笑って	わらって	[wàrátté]
Hypothetical conditional	笑えば	わらえば	[wàráéꜜbà]

• Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 「笑う」

Verb

笑(わら)う • (warau) ^{←わらふ (warafu)?}intransitive godan (stem 笑(わら)い (warai), past 笑(わら)った (waratta))

1. to spontaneously express joy or amusement by means of the voice or facial expression:
   1. to laugh
      • 794, Shin'yaku Kegonkyō Ongi Shiki, page 96:

        微笑 下音焼 訓和良布^[5]

        (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   2. to smile

      マイクはよく笑(わら)いますよね。

      Maiku wa yoku waraimasu yo ne.

      Mike laughs / smiles a lot, doesn't he.

2. to split open (as a plant bud), to bloom

   桜(さくら)の花(はな)が笑(わら)う

   sakura no hana ga warau

   the cherry flowers bloom

3. to split open from ripening (as fruit or vegetables)

   栗(くり)が笑(わら)っている時(じ)期(き)

   kuri ga waratte iru jiki

   the season when the chestnuts ripen and split open

4. (figurative) to bud, become green and verdant, and bloom in spring (as the landscape)

   山(やま)の景(け)色(しき)が笑(わら)う

   yama no keshiki ga warau

   the mountain landscape comes alive / quickens / blooms

5. to come undone (as a stitch or seam)

   縫(ぬ)い目(め)が笑(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)

   膝(ひざ)が笑(わら)う

   hiza ga warau

   go wobbly in the knees

Verb

笑(わら)う • (warau) ^{←わらふ (warafu)?}transitive godan (stem 笑(わら)い (warai), past 笑(わら)った (waratta))

1. to laugh at, to make fun of, to make a fool of

   ジュディは私(わたし)を笑(わら)った。

   Judi wa watashi o waratta.

   Judy laughed at me / made fun of me / made a fool of me.

Conjugation

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	笑わ	わらわ	warawa
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	笑い	わらい	warai
Shūshikei ("terminal")	笑う	わらう	warau
Rentaikei ("attributive")	笑う	わらう	warau
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	笑え	わらえ	warae
Meireikei ("imperative")	笑え	わらえ	warae
Key constructions
Passive	笑われる	わらわれる	warawareru
Causative	笑わせる 笑わす	わらわせる わらわす	warawaseru warawasu
Potential	笑える	わらえる	waraeru
Volitional	笑おう	わらおう	waraō
Negative	笑わない	わらわない	warawanai
Negative continuative	笑わず	わらわず	warawazu
Formal	笑います	わらいます	waraimasu
Perfective	笑った	わらった	waratta
Conjunctive	笑って	わらって	waratte
Hypothetical conditional	笑えば	わらえば	waraeba

Conjugation of "笑う" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Synonyms

• (smile): 微(ほほ)笑(え)む (hohoemu); 笑(え)む (emu); にこにこする (nikoniko suru)
• (bloom): 笑(え)む (emu); 咲(さ)く (saku)
• (open from ripening): 笑(え)む (emu)
• (ripen in general): 熟(じゅく)す (jukusu), 熟(じゅく)する (jukusuru); 熟(う)れる (ureru); 熟(う)む (umu)
• (come undone): 綻(ほころ)びる (hokorobiru); 解(と)ける (tokeru)
• (make fun of): 嘲(あざけ)る (azakeru); 馬(ば)鹿(か)にする (baka ni suru); 嘲(ちょう)笑(しょう)する (chōshō suru); 嘲笑(あざわら)う (azawarau); 嗤(し)笑(しょう)する (shishō suru): to laugh at, to ridicule, to jeer at

Idioms

• 笑(わら)う顔(かお)に矢(や)立(た)たず (warau kao ni ya tatazu): "arrows won't pierce a smiling face" → someone approaching in friendship will not be fired upon; a smile will melt away hostility
• 笑(わら)う顔(かお)は打(う)たれぬ (warau kao wa utarenu): "a smiling face won't get hit" → someone approaching in friendship will not be attacked; a smile will melt away hostility
• 笑(わら)う山(やま) (warau yama): "the smiling mountains" →
• 笑(わら)うものは測(はか)るべからず (warau mono wa hakaru bekarazu): "you can't take the measure of a smiling man" → someone who is always smiling is hard to read, and may thus be more predator than pal: be wary of charmers
• 笑(わら)う門(かど)には福(ふく)来(きた)る (warau kado ni wa fuku kitaru): "fortune comes to the smiling door" → happiness brings good luck, laugh and grow fat
• 笑(わら)い三(さん)年(ねん)泣(な)き三(みつ)月(き) (warai sannen naki mitsuki): "laughter three years, crying three months" → a metaphorical rule of thumb for how long it takes to learn proper expression in the traditional 義太夫 (gidayū) style of dramatic recital
• 笑(わら)いの内(うち)に刀(かたな)を礪(と)ぐ (warai no uchi ni katana o togu): "to sharpen a sword while laughing / smiling" → to make oneself appear happy while thinking hostile thoughts
• 笑(わら)いは人(ひと)の薬(くすり) (warai wa hito no kusuri): "laughter is medicine for people" → laughter is the best medicine
• 笑(わら)って損(そん)した者(もの)なし (waratte son shita mono nashi): "no one's been hurt by smiling" → a smile never hurts
• 笑(わら)って損(そん)するは箔(はく)屋(や)ばかり (waratte son suru wa hakuya bakari): "the only one to make a loss on laughing is an embosser" → if an embosser laughs, the gold foil they work with would go flying, but for anyone else, laughter brings good fortune
• 笑(わら)って太(ふと)れ (waratte futore): "laugh and grow fat" → happiness brings good luck
• 笑(わら)って暮(く)らすも一(いっ)生(しょう)泣(な)いて暮(く)らすも一(いっ)生(しょう) (waratte kurasu mo isshō naite kurasu mo isshō); 泣(な)いて暮(く)らすも一(いっ)生(しょう)笑(わら)って暮(く)らすも一(いっ)生(しょう) (naite kurasu mo isshō waratte kurasu mo isshō): "you can live crying, or live laughing"
• 笑(わら)わざれば以(もっ)て道(みち)と為(な)すに足(た)らず (warawazareba motte michi to nasu ni tarazu): "if it's not laughed at, it's not enough to be the right way" → from the way a fool will laugh when told the way to do something, so if it's not enough for even a fool to laugh at, then it must not have any value at all

Derived terms

• w (w): LOL
• 笑(わら)い (warai): a laugh, laughter; a smile
• 大(おお)笑(わら)い (ōwarai): a big laugh, a guffaw, uproarious laughter
• 笑(わら)い絵(え) (warai e): a funny picture; pornography
• 笑(わら)い顔(がお) (waraigao): a smiling face
• 笑(わら)われ者(もの) (warawaremono): a laughingstock
• 笑(わら)い種(ぐさ) (waraigusa): a laughingstock
• 笑(わらい)薬(ぐすり) (waraigusuri): a drug or medicine that makes someone laugh for no reason
• 笑(わら)い崩(くず)れる (waraikuzureru): to be convulsed with laughter
• 笑(わらい)口(ぐち) (waraiguchi): a laughing or smiling mouth
• 笑(わら)い声(ごえ) (waraigoe): laughter
• 笑(わら)い転(こ)ける (waraikokeru): to laugh one's head off, to split one's sides, ROFL
• 笑(わら)い事(ごと) (waraigoto): a laughing matter
• 笑(わら)い転(ころ)げる (waraikorogeru): to fall down laughing, to laugh one's head off, ROFL
• 笑(わら)いさざめく (waraisazameku): to laugh merrily, as in a group
• 笑(わらい)様(ざま) (waraizama): [in] a laughing manner, laughingly
• 笑(わらい)尉(じょう) (waraijō): in Noh theatre, the traditional mask of a smiling man
• 笑(わら)い上(じょう)戸(ご) (warai jōgo): a happy or cheerful drinker; someone who laughs easily
• 笑(わら)い皺(じわ) (waraijiwa): a laugh line, a facial wrinkle from smiling
• 笑(わら)い初(ぞ)め (waraizome), 笑初(わらいぞめ) (waraizome): blooming first in early spring
• 笑(わら)い茸(たけ) (waraitake): the "laughing mushroom": Panaeolus papilionaceus, a poisonous mushroom, so called for the spontaneous laughter it causes when eaten due to its neurotoxic effects
• 笑(わら)い立(た)つ (waraitatsu): to burst out laughing; to deride someone
• 笑(わらい)道(どう)具(ぐ) (waraidōgu): something used to invite laughter; sex toys
• 笑(わら)い飛(と)ばす (waraitobasu): to laugh something off
• 笑(わら)い話(ばなし) (waraibanashi): a funny story
• 笑(わら)い本(ぼん) (waraibon): a book of 笑い絵 (warai e): a book of funny pictures; a book of pornography
• 笑(わら)い物(もの) (waraimono), 笑(わら)い者(もの) (waraimono): a laughingstock
• 笑(わらい)翡翠(かわせみ) (warai kawasemi): Dacelo novaeguineae, the laughing kookaburra
• 笑(わら)い仏(ぼとけ) (waraibotoke), 笑(わらい)仏(ぼとけ) (waraibotoke): (Buddhism) a statue of a smiling or laughing Buddha; statues of ancient poets of similar appearance and placed in front of a 経蔵 (kyōzō, “a repository for sūtras and chronicles of a temple's history”)

References

1. Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
2. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
3. Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
4. NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
5. Unknown (794) Yoshinori Kobayashi, editor, Shin'yaku Kegonkyō Ongi Shiki (Kojisho Ongi Shūsei) (in Japanese), volume 1, Kyūko Shoin, published 1978, →ISBN.