Laugh in Different Languages
Discover 'Laugh' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Ah, the humble laugh! A sound that transcends borders and unites us all in moments of joy and mirth. But have you ever stopped to consider how we express this universal human experience in different languages? The word 'laugh' itself is a small but mighty one, conveying a sense of happiness and amusement that can brighten even the darkest day.
Throughout history, laughter has played a significant role in human culture. From ancient Greek philosophers who believed that laughter was a way to cleanse the soul, to modern-day psychologists who study the health benefits of a good chuckle, it's clear that laughter is much more than just a sound. It's a powerful tool for communication, connection, and even healing.
That's why understanding how to say 'laugh' in different languages can be such a valuable skill. Whether you're traveling to a foreign country and want to make new friends, or you're simply curious about the world around you, knowing how to express this simple but meaningful sound can open up new avenues of communication and understanding.
So without further ado, let's explore some of the many ways to say 'laugh' in different languages around the world!
Laugh
Laugh in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | lag | ||
| In Afrikaans, the word "lag" has a secondary meaning of "to be successful". | |||
| Amharic | ሳቅ | ||
| The word | |||
| Hausa | dariya | ||
| In Hausa, "dariya" can also mean "foolishness" or "madness". | |||
| Igbo | chia ochi | ||
| The word 'chia ochi' in Igbo is also used to describe the act of 'showing one's teeth,' as in a smile or grin. | |||
| Malagasy | ihomehezana | ||
| The Malagasy word "ihomehezana" also means "to mock" or "to tease". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kuseka | ||
| The word "kuseka" in Nyanja can also mean "to be happy" or "to have fun." | |||
| Shona | seka | ||
| The word "seka" can also mean "to ridicule" or "to mock" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | qosol | ||
| The Somali word "qosol" is related to the Amharic word "qosol", meaning "song". | |||
| Sesotho | tsheha | ||
| Sesotho word "tsheha" can also refer to a plant that is used in medicine, similar to "sage" in English. | |||
| Swahili | cheka | ||
| The Swahili word "Cheka" is also used as a slang term to refer to the act of gossiping or spreading rumors. | |||
| Xhosa | hleka | ||
| The Xhosa word "hleka" also means "to be satisfied". | |||
| Yoruba | rerin | ||
| Rerin is also a Yoruba term for laughter. | |||
| Zulu | hleka | ||
| The word 'hleka' originates from the Proto-Bantu verb *kɛka, and also has the meaning 'look' in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | ka yɛlɛ | ||
| Ewe | ko nu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | aseka | ||
| Lingala | koseka | ||
| Luganda | okuseka | ||
| Sepedi | sega | ||
| Twi (Akan) | sere | ||
Laugh in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | يضحك | ||
| The Arabic verb يضحك (yaḍḥak) also means "to make laugh" or "to smile", and its literal meaning is "to show the teeth."} | |||
| Hebrew | לִצְחוֹק | ||
| The Hebrew word "לִצְחוֹק" can also mean "to mock" or "to make fun of". | |||
| Pashto | خندل | ||
| In Pashto, "خندل" also has the secondary meaning of "to smile" or "to show teeth". | |||
| Arabic | يضحك | ||
| The Arabic verb يضحك (yaḍḥak) also means "to make laugh" or "to smile", and its literal meaning is "to show the teeth."} | |||
Laugh in Western European Languages
| Albanian | qesh | ||
| "Qesh" also refers to a type of Albanian dance. | |||
| Basque | barre egin | ||
| The word for "laugh" in Basque, "barre egin," can also mean "to make fun of someone" or "to mock." | |||
| Catalan | riu | ||
| "Rire" in French, "ridere" in Italian and "reír" in Spanish all come from the Latin word "rīdēre", which means "to laugh". "Riu" in Catalan is a dialectal variant deriving from the same Latin root, but its use is limited to informal or regional contexts. | |||
| Croatian | smijeh | ||
| "Smijeh" comes from the Proto-Slavic *směxъ, also meaning "ridicule". | |||
| Danish | grine | ||
| The Danish word "grine" can also mean "to sneer" or "to make a face". | |||
| Dutch | lach | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "laugh," "lach" in Dutch can also refer to a layer of ice or snow. | |||
| English | laugh | ||
| The word "laugh" is derived from the Middle English word "laggen", which itself comes from the Old Norse word "hlakka". | |||
| French | rire | ||
| "Rire" can also mean "smile" or figuratively "make fun of" in French. | |||
| Frisian | laitsje | ||
| The word "laitsje" can also mean "to grin" or "to smile". | |||
| Galician | rir | ||
| The Galician word "rir" is derived from the Latin verb "ridere" and is also used in Occitan and Catalan. | |||
| German | lachen | ||
| The German word "Lachen" is derived from the Old High German word "lahhan" and is related to the English word "laughter". | |||
| Icelandic | hlátur | ||
| The Icelandic word "hlátur" derives from an Indo-European root that also means "to shine" or "to gleam". | |||
| Irish | gáire | ||
| The word 'gáire' can also mean 'shout' or 'cry'. | |||
| Italian | ridere | ||
| "Ridere" is related to the Latin verb "ridere" which means "to open one's mouth wide". | |||
| Luxembourgish | laachen | ||
| In Old High German, "lachen" meant "to make noise, to talk, to babble." | |||
| Maltese | tidħaq | ||
| The Maltese word | |||
| Norwegian | latter | ||
| The Norwegian word "latter" can also mean "to search" or "to look for". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | rir | ||
| "Rir" (to laugh) comes from the Latin "ridere," which also means "to smile" or "to grin." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | gàireachdainn | ||
| Spanish | risa | ||
| In Spanish, ``risa'' (derived from Latin ``risus'') is commonly used to mean chuckle, laughter, or giggle | |||
| Swedish | skratt | ||
| Skratt, meaning 'to laugh', comes from the Old English 'scræcan' which signifies to make a loud noise. | |||
| Welsh | chwerthin | ||
| A chwerthin' ('to laugh') comes fr a root in *k(w)er- with sense 'bend, crook'. | |||
Laugh in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | смяяцца | ||
| Смяяцца also means "to mock", cognate with Russian смеяться | |||
| Bosnian | smijati se | ||
| In Bosnian, the word "smijati se" can also mean "to smile" or "to be amused". | |||
| Bulgarian | смейте се | ||
| The Bulgarian word "смейте се" not only means "laugh" but is also used to express sarcasm. | |||
| Czech | smích | ||
| The word "smích" also means "scorn" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | naerma | ||
| The Estonian word "naerma" also means 'to snort' in the context of animals. | |||
| Finnish | nauraa | ||
| The word 'nauraa' is derived from Proto-Uralic *nawra- or *nawra- meaning 'to joke' or 'to tease'. | |||
| Hungarian | nevetés | ||
| The Hungarian word "nevetés" also means "amusement" or "entertainment." | |||
| Latvian | smieties | ||
| Latvian "smieties" is related to German "schmunzeln" "to smile" and English "smerk" "to smile with smug satisfaction." | |||
| Lithuanian | juoktis | ||
| Cognate to the Latin "iocus", meaning "joke". | |||
| Macedonian | се смее | ||
| The Macedonian word "се смее" can also mean "to mock" or "to ridicule". | |||
| Polish | śmiech | ||
| The Polish word "śmiech" can also refer to a type of mushroom. | |||
| Romanian | a rade | ||
| In Romanian, 'a rade' means 'to laugh', but it also has a secondary meaning of 'to shave' or 'to scrape'. | |||
| Russian | смех | ||
| "Смех" in Russian can also refer to a mocking expression or sarcasm. | |||
| Serbian | смех | ||
| The word "смех" in Serbian is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *směk-, meaning "to smile". | |||
| Slovak | smiať sa | ||
| "Smiať sa" also means "to dare" and may be related to the word "smiet'", which means "garbage" or "trash" | |||
| Slovenian | smeh | ||
| The word "smeh" can also mean "ridicule" or "mockery" in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | сміятися | ||
| The word "сміятися" also means "to smile" in Ukrainian. | |||
Laugh in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | হাসি | ||
| The word 'হাসি' ('laugh') in Bengali also refers to 'smile', 'joy', 'mirth', or 'glee'. | |||
| Gujarati | હસવું | ||
| In Sanskrit, the word 'हस' ('has') means to 'sport, wanton, play' and was extended to include 'laughter'. | |||
| Hindi | हसना | ||
| The Hindi word "हसना" can also mean "to smile" or "to be happy". | |||
| Kannada | ನಗು | ||
| ನಗು is derived from the Dravidian root *nak-*, which also means 'to smile' or 'to make fun of' | |||
| Malayalam | ചിരിക്കുക | ||
| Marathi | हसणे | ||
| The word "हसणे" (Hasne) is derived from the Sanskrit word "हसि" (Hasi), meaning "to smile" or "to make a pleased sound". It can also refer to the act of expressing amusement or joy. | |||
| Nepali | हाँसो | ||
| "हाँसो" is related to the Sanskrit root "हस," which also means "to laugh. | |||
| Punjabi | ਹਾਸਾ | ||
| The word "ਹਾਸਾ" (laugh) is also used to refer to a witty or humorous remark in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සිනාසෙන්න | ||
| Tamil | சிரிக்கவும் | ||
| Telugu | నవ్వు | ||
| "నవ్వు" (laugh) is also used as a noun to mean "laughter". | |||
| Urdu | ہنسنا | ||
| The word "ہنسنا" (laugh) is derived from the Sanskrit word "हंस" (swan), which was used to describe the graceful and melodious sound of a swan's call. | |||
Laugh in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 笑 | ||
| 笑 in Chinese can also mean “a smile” or a “joke”. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 笑 | ||
| The etymology of 笑, meaning “laugh,” can be traced back to a character that depicts a person with an open mouth and a large belly, suggesting laughter and joy. | |||
| Japanese | 笑い | ||
| 笑い (warai) can also refer to a type of Buddhist performance art, a humorous anecdote, or a joke. | |||
| Korean | 웃음 | ||
| The word "웃음" (laugh) is also used as a general term for "amusement" or "entertainment". | |||
| Mongolian | инээх | ||
| 'Инээх' also means 'to breathe' and derives from the Altaic root *in-/*inǝ-/*ine- which appears in many languages such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Turkish. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရယ်တယ် | ||
Laugh in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | tertawa | ||
| The Indonesian word "tertawa" has roots in Sanskrit, and can also refer to smiling or chuckling. | |||
| Javanese | ngguyu | ||
| The Javanese word “ngguyu” can also mean “smile”, but it is used more frequently to describe the act of laughing aloud. | |||
| Khmer | សើច | ||
| The word "សើច" can also refer to the sound of breathing or the bubbling of water. | |||
| Lao | ຫົວເລາະ | ||
| ຫົວເລາະ can also refer to the action of mocking or teasing someone or describing something as ridiculous or absurd. | |||
| Malay | ketawa | ||
| The Malay word "ketawa" is cognate with the Javanese "ketiwi" and the Sundanese "kecapi", suggesting a common Austronesian root for the term. | |||
| Thai | หัวเราะ | ||
| "หัว" (hua) means "head" and "เราะ" (rao) means "to laugh". | |||
| Vietnamese | cười | ||
| The word "cười" also means "to smile" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tumawa | ||
Laugh in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | gülmək | ||
| The word "gülmək" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Proto-Turkic root *gül-, meaning "to shine" or "to smile". | |||
| Kazakh | күлу | ||
| The word "күлу" also means "to smile" and "to make somebody laugh" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | күлүү | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "күлүү" can also refer to the sparkling of stars or the twinkling of eyes. | |||
| Tajik | хандидан | ||
| The word "хандидан" also means "to smile" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | gül | ||
| Uzbek | kulmoq | ||
| The word "kulmoq" can also mean "to be joyful" or "to express amusement" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | كۈلۈش | ||
Laugh in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻakaʻaka | ||
| 'Aka'aka' is also a term for a type of tree in the acacia family that is native to Polynesia. | |||
| Maori | katakata | ||
| The Maori word "katakata" can also refer to jokes, humour or a sense of humour. | |||
| Samoan | ata | ||
| "Ata" is also a noun meaning "dawn". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | tawanan | ||
| The word "tawanan" can also refer to a place of laughter or amusement. | |||
Laugh in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | laruña | ||
| Guarani | puka | ||
Laugh in International Languages
| Esperanto | ridu | ||
| The Esperanto word "ridu" comes from the Latin word "ridere", which also means "to laugh" and is the root of the English word "ridicule". | |||
| Latin | risu | ||
| Latin "risus" can also mean "smile" or "a laughing face". | |||
Laugh in Others Languages
| Greek | γέλιο | ||
| Cognate with English 'glee' (Middle English 'gle'), and 'gloat' (Middle English 'gloten') | |||
| Hmong | luag | ||
| In addition to meaning "laugh," "luag" can also mean "happy," "joking," or "smile" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | ken | ||
| In Kurdish, the word "ken" not only means "to laugh" but also "to be happy". | |||
| Turkish | gülmek | ||
| 'Gülmek' also means 'to bloom' in Turkish, hence its association with the beauty of a flower. | |||
| Xhosa | hleka | ||
| The Xhosa word "hleka" also means "to be satisfied". | |||
| Yiddish | לאכן | ||
| "לאכן" comes from Middle High German "lachen", itself from Proto-West Germanic "*hlahhan". | |||
| Zulu | hleka | ||
| The word 'hleka' originates from the Proto-Bantu verb *kɛka, and also has the meaning 'look' in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | হাঁহি | ||
| Aymara | laruña | ||
| Bhojpuri | हँसल | ||
| Dhivehi | ހުނުން | ||
| Dogri | हास्सा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tumawa | ||
| Guarani | puka | ||
| Ilocano | agkatawa | ||
| Krio | laf | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پێکەنین | ||
| Maithili | हंसी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯣꯛꯄ | ||
| Mizo | nui | ||
| Oromo | kolfuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ହସିବା | ||
| Quechua | asiy | ||
| Sanskrit | हासः | ||
| Tatar | көлү | ||
| Tigrinya | ሰሓቅ | ||
| Tsonga | hleka | ||
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