funny person; joker; humorous fellow
Refers to a person who is naturally funny, playful, or given to joking around. Often carries a light, affectionate tone.
He's the class joker and always makes everyone laugh.
My dad is a funny guy and often makes silly faces to play with us.
道化師 is a clown or professional jester, whereas ひょうきん者 is an ordinary person with a funny personality.
Common mixed kana-kanji spelling; the kanji 者 means 'person'.
Rare kanji spelling; 剽軽 is an ateji reading for ひょうきん and is seldom used in modern writing.
ひょうきん is of uncertain origin, possibly related to the mimetic word ひょうきん (lighthearted, funny). The kanji 剽軽 is ateji and not etymologically significant.