漢字Kanji · in Textiles, Plants & Food
笑: laugh
- 竹bamboo(meaning)
- 夭(form)
竹 carries the meaning · 夭 is drawn in
Three readings, and the words that use each
ショウshou · on'yomi · in compounds
- 爆笑するばくしょうするlaugh hard
- 苦笑するくしょうするsmile bitterly
- 冷笑するれいしょうするlaugh scornfully
- 一笑するいっしょうするlaugh off
わらうwarau · kun'yomi · on its own
- 笑うわらうlaugh, smile [v.i.]
- 笑い話わらいばなしfunny story
えむemu · kun'yomi
- 笑顔えがおsmiling face
- 笑みえみsmile [n.]
Special readingsThese words are read as a whole, not from the readings above.
- 微笑むほほえむsmile [v.i.]
Words: Kanji alive, CC BY 4.0.
Where it comes from
Origin · sourced
Phono-semantic compound (形聲)艸 grass (sound) + 犬 dog (meaning)
Originally phono-semantic compound (形聲): phonetic 艸 (“grass”) + semantic 犬 (“dog”). Later, phono-semantic compound (形聲): semantic 竹 + phonetic 夭.
Source: Wiktionary, 笑 (rev. 92201283), CC BY-SA 4.0
Memory story · made up to help you remember
“Bamboo (⺮) + young/distorted (夭). Imagine a person bending like "bamboo" in the wind as they "laugh" or "smile" with joy.”
Connections
Also built on 夭
Easy to confuse
The difference, side by sideIn ChineseSame character in simplified and traditional · xiào
Same form: 笑 is written the same way in mainland China (simplified) and in Taiwan and Hong Kong (traditional).
- Simplified
- 笑 mainland China, Singapore
- Traditional
- 笑 Taiwan, Hong Kong
Pinyin xiào most common reading
Forms and pinyin: Unicode Unihan database (Unicode License v3). Pinyin lists the most common reading, not every reading.