adverb, adverb taking the 'to' particle
laughing loudly; with a hearty laugh
Mimetic adverb describing a loud, open laugh. Often used with 笑う or と.
He laughed loudly.
He let out a loud, hearty laugh, surprising everyone.
Hearing the joke, everyone burst into loud laughter.
大笑い is a common noun/する-verb for a big laugh, whereas 呵呵 is a literary adverb describing the manner of laughing (often paired with 笑う).
Standard kanji spelling for this mimetic adverb.
Kana spelling is common for mimetic words.
Variant spelling using the iteration mark 々.
Mimetic word derived from the sound of loud laughter. The kanji 呵 is used phonetically for its on-reading カ, and the repetition suggests continuous or emphatic laughing.