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笑う. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
笑う, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
笑う in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
笑う you have here. The definition of the word
笑う will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
笑う, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Japanese
- (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".
Pronunciation
- Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 「笑う」
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
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Stem forms
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Terminal (終止形) Attributive (連体形)
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笑う
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わらう
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Imperative (命令形)
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笑え
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わらえ
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Key constructions
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Passive
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笑われる
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わらわれる
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Causative
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笑わせる
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わらわせる
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Potential
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笑える
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わらえる
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Volitional
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笑おう
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わらおー
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Negative
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笑わない
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わらわない
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Negative perfective
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笑わなかった
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わらわなかった
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Formal
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笑います
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わらいます
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Perfective
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笑った
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わらった
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Conjunctive
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笑って
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わらって
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Hypothetical conditional
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笑えば
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わらえば
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Verb
笑う • (warau) ←わらふ (warafu)?intransitive godan (stem 笑い (warai), past 笑った (waratta))
- to spontaneously express joy or amusement by means of the voice or facial expression:
- to laugh
- to smile
- マイクはよく笑いますよね。
- Maiku wa yoku waraimasu yo ne.
- Mike laughs / smiles a lot, doesn't he.
- to split open (as a plant bud), to bloom
- 桜の花が笑う
- sakura no hana ga warau
- the cherry flowers bloom
- to split open from ripening (as fruit or vegetables)
- 栗が笑っている時期
- kuri ga waratte iru jiki
- the season when the chestnuts ripen and split open
- (figurative) to bud, become green and verdant, and bloom in spring (as the landscape)
- 山の景色が笑う
- yama no keshiki ga warau
- the mountain landscape comes alive / quickens / blooms
- to come undone (as a stitch or seam)
- 縫い目が笑っている
- nuime ga waratte iru
- the seam is coming open
- (slang) to become weak and wobbly (as in the knees)
- 膝が笑う
- hiza ga warau
- go wobbly in the knees
Verb
笑う • (warau) ←わらふ (warafu)?transitive godan (stem 笑い (warai), past 笑った (waratta))
- to laugh at, to make fun of, to make a fool of
- ジュディは私を笑った。
- Judi wa watashi o waratta.
- Judy laughed at me / made fun of me / made a fool of me.
Conjugation
Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
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Mizenkei ("imperfective")
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笑わ
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わらわ
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warawa
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Ren’yōkei ("continuative")
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笑い
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わらい
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warai
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Shūshikei ("terminal")
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笑う
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わらう
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warau
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Rentaikei ("attributive")
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笑う
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わらう
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warau
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Kateikei ("hypothetical")
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笑え
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わらえ
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warae
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Meireikei ("imperative")
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笑え
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わらえ
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warae
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Key constructions
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Passive
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笑われる
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わらわれる
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warawareru
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Causative
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笑わせる 笑わす
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わらわせる わらわす
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warawaseru warawasu
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Potential
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笑える
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わらえる
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waraeru
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Volitional
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笑おう
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わらおう
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waraō
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Negative
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笑わない
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わらわない
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warawanai
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Negative continuative
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笑わず
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わらわず
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warawazu
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Formal
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笑います
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わらいます
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waraimasu
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Perfective
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笑った
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わらった
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waratta
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Conjunctive
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笑って
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わらって
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waratte
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Hypothetical conditional
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笑えば
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わらえば
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waraeba
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Stem forms
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Irrealis (未然形)
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笑は |
わらは |
warafa
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Continuative (連用形)
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笑ひ |
わらひ |
warafi
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Terminal (終止形)
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笑ふ |
わらふ |
warafu
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Attributive (連体形)
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笑ふ |
わらふ |
warafu
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Realis (已然形)
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笑へ |
わらへ |
warafe
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Imperative (命令形)
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笑へ |
わらへ |
warafe
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Key constructions
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Negative
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笑はず |
わらはず |
warafazu
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Contrasting conjunction
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笑へど |
わらへど |
warafedo
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Causal conjunction
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笑へば |
わらへば |
warafeba
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Conditional conjunction
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笑はば |
わらはば |
warafaba
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Past tense (firsthand knowledge)
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笑ひき |
わらひき |
warafiki
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Past tense (secondhand knowledge)
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笑ひけり |
わらひけり |
warafikeri
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Perfect tense (conscious action)
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笑ひつ |
わらひつ |
warafitu
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Perfect tense (natural event)
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笑ひぬ |
わらひぬ |
warafinu
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Perfect-continuative tense
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笑へり 笑ひたり |
わらへり わらひたり |
waraferi warafitari
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Volitional
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笑はむ |
わらはむ |
warafamu
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Extended conjugation of warau "笑う" (Class: godan "pentagrade")
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(See Appendix:Japanese verbs and Japanese conjugation)
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Ren’yōkei ("continuative form")
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笑い
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Rentaikei ("attributive form")
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笑う
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Positive
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Negative
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Conjunctive (te-form)
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笑って
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笑わないで 笑わなくて
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Non-past / Imperfective
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Positive
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Negative
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Plain
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笑う
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笑わない
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Polite
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笑います
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笑いません
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Past / Perfective
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Positive
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Negative
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Plain
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笑った
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笑わなかった
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Polite
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笑いました
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笑いませんでした
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Passive
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Verb stem
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笑われ
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Positive
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Negative
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Plain
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笑われる
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笑われない
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Polite
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笑われます
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笑われません
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Past
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笑われた
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笑われなかった
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Polite past
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笑われました
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笑われませんでした
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Causative
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Verb stem
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笑わせ
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Positive
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Negative
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Plain
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笑わせる short form: 笑わす
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笑わせない
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Polite
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笑わせます
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笑わせません
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Past
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笑わせた
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笑わせなかった
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Polite past
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笑わせました
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笑わせませんでした
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Potential
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Verb stem
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笑え
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Positive
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Negative
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Plain
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笑える
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笑えない
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Polite
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笑えます
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笑えません
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Past
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笑えた
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笑えなかった
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Polite past
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笑えました
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笑えませんでした
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Imperative
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Positive
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Negative
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Meireikei / Firm instruction
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笑え
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—
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Other imperative constructions
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Positive
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Negative
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Polite request
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笑ってください
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笑わないでください
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-nasai form
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笑いなさい
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—
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Prohibitive / Do not 〜
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—
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笑うな
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Volitional / Presumptive
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Positive
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Negative
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Plain
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笑おう
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—
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Polite
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笑いましょう
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—
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Conditional
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Positive
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Negative
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Hypothetical / Provisional
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笑えば
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笑わなければ colloquial: 笑わなきゃ
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-tara form
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笑ったら
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笑わなかったら
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Causative passive
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Verb stem
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standard: 笑わせられ colloquial: 笑わされ ¹
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Positive
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Negative
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Plain
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笑わせられる 笑わされる
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笑わせられない 笑わされない
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Polite
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笑わせられます 笑わされます
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笑わせられません 笑わされません
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Past
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笑わせられた 笑わされた
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笑わせられなかった 笑わされなかった
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Polite past
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笑わせられました 笑わされました
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笑わせられませんでした 笑わされませんでした
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Desiderative (-tai form)
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Positive
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Negative
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Plain
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笑いたい
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笑いたくない
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For other desiderative forms, see たい#Inflection.
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Progressive action and current state (-te iru form)
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Positive
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Negative
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Plain
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笑っている contraction: 笑ってる
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笑っていない contraction: 笑ってない
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Polite
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笑っています
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笑っていません
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Past
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笑っていた
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笑っていなかった
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Polite past
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笑っていました
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笑っていませんでした
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Other forms and constructions
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Archaic or classical negative
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笑わぬ ²
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Archaic attributive negative
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Colloquial or dialectal -ん negative
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笑わん
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Negative continuative
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笑わず ²
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(〜に): without 〜ing
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Representative / Listing examples
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笑ったり
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¹ In everyday speech, せら is shortened into さ in the causative passive forms of godan verbs: 笑わせられる → 笑わされる. ² Archaic form, now mostly used in set phrases, written language and formal speech.
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Synonyms
Idioms
- 笑う顔に矢立たず (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
- 笑う顔は打たれぬ (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
- 笑う山 (warau yama): "the smiling mountains" →
- 笑うものは測るべからず (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
- 笑う門には福来る (warau kado ni wa fuku kitaru): "fortune comes to the smiling door" → happiness brings good luck, laugh and grow fat
- 笑い三年泣き三月 (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
- 笑いの内に刀を礪ぐ (warai no uchi ni katana o togu): "to sharpen a sword while laughing / smiling" → to make oneself appear happy while thinking hostile thoughts
- 笑いは人の薬 (warai wa hito no kusuri): "laughter is medicine for people" → laughter is the best medicine
- 笑って損した者なし (waratte son shita mono nashi): "no one's been hurt by smiling" → a smile never hurts
- 笑って損するは箔屋ばかり (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
- 笑って太れ (waratte futore): "laugh and grow fat" → happiness brings good luck
- 笑って暮らすも一生泣いて暮らすも一生 (waratte kurasu mo isshō naite kurasu mo isshō); 泣いて暮らすも一生笑って暮らすも一生 (naite kurasu mo isshō waratte kurasu mo isshō): "you can live crying, or live laughing"
- 笑わざれば以て道と為すに足らず (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
- 笑い (warai): a laugh, laughter; a smile
- 大笑い (ōwarai): a big laugh, a guffaw, uproarious laughter
- 笑い絵 (warai e): a funny picture; pornography
- 笑い顔 (waraigao): a smiling face
- 笑われ者 (warawaremono): a laughingstock
- 笑い種 (waraigusa): a laughingstock
- 笑薬 (waraigusuri): a drug or medicine that makes someone laugh for no reason
- 笑い崩れる (waraikuzureru): to be convulsed with laughter
- 笑口 (waraiguchi): a laughing or smiling mouth
- 笑い声 (waraigoe): laughter
- 笑い転ける (waraikokeru): to laugh one's head off, to split one's sides, ROFL
- 笑い事 (waraigoto): a laughing matter
- 笑い転げる (waraikorogeru): to fall down laughing, to laugh one's head off, ROFL
- 笑いさざめく (waraisazameku): to laugh merrily, as in a group
- 笑様 (waraizama): a laughing manner, laughingly
- 笑尉 (waraijō): in Noh theatre, the traditional mask of a smiling man
- 笑い上戸 (warai jōgo): a happy or cheerful drinker; someone who laughs easily
- 笑い皺 (waraijiwa): a laugh line, a facial wrinkle from smiling
- 笑い初め (waraizome), 笑初 (waraizome): blooming first in early spring
- 笑い茸 (waraitake): the "laughing mushroom": Panaeolus papilionaceus, a poisonous mushroom, so called for the spontaneous laughter it causes when eaten due to its neurotoxic effects
- 笑い立つ (waraitatsu): to burst out laughing; to deride someone
- 笑道具 (waraidōgu): something used to invite laughter; sex toys
- 笑い飛ばす (waraitobasu): to laugh something off
- 笑い話 (waraibanashi): a funny story
- 笑い本 (waraibon): a book of 笑い絵 (warai e): a book of funny pictures; a book of pornography
- 笑い物 (waraimono), 笑い者 (waraimono): a laughingstock
- 笑翡翠 (warai kawasemi): Dacelo novaeguineae, the laughing kookaburra
- 笑い仏 (waraibotoke), 笑仏 (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
- ^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典(新装版) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
- ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
- ^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
- ^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
- ^ Unknown (794) Yoshinori Kobayashi, editor, Shin'yaku Kegonkyō Ongi Shiki (Kojisho Ongi Shūsei) (in Japanese), volume 1, Kyūko Shoin, published 1978, →ISBN.