顔かおをほころばせる

か

お

を

ほ

こ

ろ

ば

せ

る

顔をほころばせる · ichidan verb

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	顔かおをほころばせる	顔かおをほころばせない
Polite	顔かおをほころばせます	顔かおをほころばせません
Past polite	顔かおをほころばせました	顔かおをほころばせませんでした
Past	顔かおをほころばせた	顔かおをほころばせなかった
Te-form	顔かおをほころばせて	顔かおをほころばせないで
Desire	顔かおをほころばせたい	顔かおをほころばせたくない
Potential	顔かおをほころばせられるalso 顔かおをほころばせれる	顔かおをほころばせられないalso 顔かおをほころばせれない
Passive	顔かおをほころばせられる	顔かおをほころばせられない
Causative	顔かおをほころばせさせる	顔かおをほころばせさせない
Causative passive	顔かおをほころばせさせられる	顔かおをほころばせさせられない
Volitional	顔かおをほころばせよう
Polite volitional	顔かおをほころばせましょう
Imperative	顔かおをほころばせろ	顔かおをほころばせるな
Conditional	顔かおをほころばせれば	顔かおをほころばせなければ
Tara conditional	顔かおをほころばせたら	顔かおをほころばせなかったら

Meanings

expression, ichidan verb

break into a smile; smile broadly; grin widely

Describes a face that suddenly relaxes into a happy expression, often when someone is pleased or amused. The phrase is somewhat literary and emphasizes the visible change in expression.

彼かの女じょはプレゼントを見みて顔かおをほころばせた。
She broke into a smile when she saw the present.
孫まごの写しゃ真しんを見みて、祖そ父ふは顔かおをほころばせた。
Looking at the photo of his grandchild, the grandfather smiled broadly.

See all 3 example sentences ›

Kanji

顔face, expression
綻be rent, ripped, unravel

Related words

笑え顔がおになる
笑顔になる is a more general and casual way to say 'to smile' or 'to have a smiling face,' while 顔をほころばせる specifically describes the moment when a serious or neutral face relaxes into a smile, often with a nuance of warmth or delight.
にっこりする
にっこりする is an onomatopoeic verb for a brief, cheerful smile, whereas 顔をほころばせる implies a more gradual, involuntary softening of the expression.

Written forms

顔かおをほころばせる
Standard spelling using kana for ほころばせる; the kanji 綻 is rare and may not be recognized by many readers.
顔かおを綻ほころばせる
Kanji spelling using 綻; this character is uncommon and may be difficult to read, so the kana form is preferred.

Etymology

The phrase combines 顔 (face) with ほころばせる, the causative form of ほころぶ (to come apart at the seams, to open up). The verb ほころぶ originally refers to a seam or bud opening, and metaphorically describes a face 'opening up' into a smile. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the expression is well-established in modern Japanese.