also: げらげらわらう
expression, godan verb (-u)
guffaw; roar with laughter; laugh heartily
Describes loud, unrestrained laughter, often in a group or at something very funny. The mimetic ゲラゲラ emphasizes the boisterous sound.
彼の冗談にみんながゲラゲラ笑った。
Everyone roared with laughter at his joke.
テレビを見ながらゲラゲラ笑っている。
I'm laughing out loud while watching TV.
Standard katakana spelling for the mimetic adverb ゲラゲラ combined with 笑う.
Hiragana variant; less common but still used.
大笑い is a noun/suru-verb meaning 'big laugh' or 'to laugh loudly', while ゲラゲラ笑う specifically describes the sound and manner of guffawing.
爆笑 is a noun/suru-verb for 'explosive laughter', often used in contexts like 爆笑する (to burst out laughing). ゲラゲラ笑う focuses on the continuous, audible laughing sound.
The adverb ゲラゲラ is a mimetic word (擬声語) imitating the sound of loud laughter. Combined with 笑う (to laugh), it forms a fixed expression. The exact origin of the mimetic is uncertain.