Japanese word

苦笑い

Pronunciation

Romajinigawarai

Meaning

  • nounwry smile

Example

彼は失敗して苦笑いします。kare wa ship pai shi te niga wara i shi ma su

He gives a wry smile after making a mistake.

Illustration for 苦笑い (wry smile)

More examples

予想外の質問に、彼女は苦笑いを浮かべました。yo sō gai no shitsu mon ni kano jo wa niga wara i o u ka be ma shi ta

She gave a wry smile at the unexpected question.

Core concept

A smile or small laugh appears as an outward response to an unpleasant or awkward situation rather than to genuine amusement.

Common phrases

  • 苦笑いをするniga wara i o su ru

    give a wry smile

  • 苦笑いを浮かべるniga wara i o u ka be ru

    give a wry smile

  • 苦笑いを見せるniga wara i o mi se ru

    show a wry smile

Similar words

照れ笑いterewarai: A smile or small laugh caused by embarrassment or shyness.
作り笑いtsukuriwarai: A smile made deliberately to hide true feelings or create a pleasant impression.
愛想笑いaisowarai: A smile used to maintain a pleasant manner toward another person.

Definition in Japanese

思いどおりにならない状況や失敗に直面して、戸惑いや諦めをにじませる笑い。omo i dō ri ni na ra na i jō kyō ya ship pai ni choku men shi te to mado i ya akira me o ni ji ma se ru wara i

Word origin

苦笑い (nigawarai) is a compound of the stem of 苦い (nigai, "bitter") and 笑い (warai, "laughter"), linking an unpleasant feeling with laughter.

Usage tips

  • 苦笑い (nigawarai) often lets a speaker acknowledge an awkward outcome without directly blaming anyone, so it can sound softer than an explicit complaint.

Other meanings

  • bitter smilenoun
  • forced smilenoun
  • strained laughnoun

Word lists with this word