Translation guide
To treat something as unimportant, trivial, or not serious; to belittle, dismiss, or joke about something that may deserve more respect or gravity.
To dismiss or downplay the significance of something, often in a way that is disrespectful or careless.
Literally 'to see lightly'. A common way to say you are not taking something seriously or are underestimating it.
彼はその問題を軽く見ている。
He is making light of the problem.
To make light of, to despise, to slight. Slightly more formal and stronger than 軽く見る.
彼は人の意見を軽んじる傾向がある。
He tends to make light of other people's opinions.
To make light of, to belittle, to underestimate. Often used when someone underestimates an opponent or a difficulty.
相手を侮ってはいけない。
Don't make light of your opponent.
Literally 'to see sweetly'. Means to underestimate or not take seriously, often with a nuance of being too optimistic.
この仕事を甘く見ていた。
I was making light of this job.
To make jokes about something serious, or to treat a serious matter with levity.
To turn something into a joke, to treat as a joke. Implies making light of something by joking about it.
彼は深刻な話を冗談にした。
He made light of the serious matter by joking about it.
To make fun of, to tease, to make light of in a joking manner. Often used when someone deflects a serious topic with humor.
真面目な話を茶化さないでください。
Please don't make light of this serious discussion.
To tease, to make fun of, to ridicule. Can be used when making light of someone's feelings or situation in a playful but potentially hurtful way.
To not take a warning or advice seriously, often leading to negative consequences.
To make light of, to disregard, to take lightly. Often used in formal contexts for ignoring risks or advice.
彼は医者の警告を軽視した。
He made light of the doctor's warning.
To ignore, to disregard. While not a direct translation, it is often used when someone makes light of something by completely ignoring it.
彼は忠告を無視した。
He made light of the advice (by ignoring it).
軽く見る is more colloquial and used in everyday speech. 軽視する is more formal and often used in written language or serious discussions about risks and responsibilities.
彼は危険を軽視している。
He is making light of the danger. (formal)
彼は危険を軽く見ている。
He is making light of the danger. (casual)
Do not translate 'make light of' literally as 光を作る or similar. It does not mean to create light. Use the phrases above to convey the idea of treating something as unimportant.
彼は彼女の失敗をからかった。
He made light of her mistake by teasing her.