剽ひょうげる

ひょ

う

げ

る

Meanings

1

ichidan verb, intransitive verb

jest; joke; play the fool

Describes playful, clowning behavior; often implies lighthearted teasing or acting silly. The verb is somewhat literary or old-fashioned; in casual speech, ふざける is more common.

彼かれはいつもひょうげて、みんなを笑わらわせる。
He always jokes around and makes everyone laugh.
ひょうげた口く調ちょうで話はなす

。

Speak in a jesting tone.

Written forms

剽ひょうげるUsage57%
Rare kanji spelling; the verb is almost always written in kana.
ひょうげるUsage43%
Standard modern spelling; the kanji forms are rare and literary.
剽軽ひょうげる
Alternate rare kanji spelling; not commonly used.

Kanji

剽threat
軽lightly, trifling, unimportant

Similar words

ふざける
ふざける is the common, everyday word for fooling around or joking. ひょうげる is rarer and carries a more literary or old-fashioned nuance.
冗じょう談だんを言いう
冗談を言う means 'to tell a joke' in a straightforward sense. ひょうげる implies a more performative, clowning style of humor.

Etymology

Derived from the noun 剽軽 (ひょうきん, 'facetiousness, jesting') with the verb-forming suffix 〜げる. The kanji 剽 means 'light, nimble' and 軽 means 'light, frivolous', but the exact historical derivation is uncertain.