笑わら

わ

ら

Freq.FrequencyTop 1,000

Meanings

Internet slang used to express laughter, similar to 'LOL' or 'haha' in English. Often used at the end of sentences or as a standalone reaction. The reading わらい is also possible but less common.

Kanji

笑laugh
藁straw

Related words

笑わらいN3
笑い is the standard noun meaning 'laughter' or 'a laugh', while 笑 is internet slang tacked onto sentences to mean 'lol' or 'haha'.

Don't confuse with

笑わらうN4
笑う is the ordinary verb 'to laugh', whereas 笑 alone is a net-slang interjection used like 'lol', not a conjugated verb form.

Written forms

笑
- わら
  Most common written form in internet slang; read as わら.
- わらい
ｗ
- わら
  Abbreviation using the first letter of 笑 (wara); multiple ｗ can be used for emphasis.
- わらい
藁
rarely-used kanji form
- わら
  Rarely used kanji form; originally means 'straw' but used here as ateji for わら.
- わらい
わらい

Etymology

Derived from the kanji 笑 (laugh), used as internet slang to indicate laughter. The reading わら comes from the kun'yomi of 笑う (warau).