comic picture; funny illustration
General term for a humorous drawing or cartoon; can be used for any amusing picture.
この本には江戸時代の笑い絵がたくさん載っている。
This book contains many comic pictures from the Edo period.
shunga; erotic picture
Specifically refers to traditional Japanese erotic art, often from the Edo period; synonymous with 春画.
See also: 春画
浮世絵師は笑い絵も多く描いた。
Ukiyo-e artists also produced many shunga.
Compound of 笑い (warai, 'laugh') and 絵 (e, 'picture'). The term originally referred to any amusing picture, but by the Edo period it became a common euphemism for erotic art.