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笑 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
笑xiàoold variant of 笑[xiào]HSK 2, v, 10 strokes, radical ⺮, rank #504, Easy
笑xiàoto smile, to laugh; to giggle; to snickerHSK 2, v, 10 strokes, radical ⺮, rank #504, Easy
笑xiàoold variant of 笑[xiao4]HSK 2, unknown, 10 strokes, radical ⺮, rank #504, Easy
笑xiàosmileHSK 2, unknown, 10 strokes, radical ⺮, rank #504, Easy
xiào(xiao4) T4
  1. 1old variant of 笑[xiào]
  2. 2to smile, to laugh; to giggle; to snicker
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026
笑(咲)xiào(xiao4)

The character 笑 (xiào) primarily means 'to smile' or 'to laugh.' It is often used to express joy, amusement, or to lighten the mood in conversations. In various contexts, it can imply a giggle or a light-hearted chuckle.

Strokes10Radical⺮Frequency#504DifficultyEasy
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, smiling and laughter are important for maintaining harmony in social interactions. People may smile even in uncomfortable situations to promote goodwill.

Memory Tip

Imagine a happy face (the radical '竹' resembles bamboo, often associated with nature and joy) surrounded by laughter (the character itself). Picture someone giggling in a bamboo forest, which helps you recall that 笑 means to laugh.

Meanings of 笑

xiào(xiao4)
1to smile, to laugh; to giggle; to snicker
2smile
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 笑

笑Simplified
咲Traditional
10Strokes
⺮Radical
动词dòngcíverb (v.)Part of Speech
#504Frequency Rank
HSK 2.0L2HSK 3.0L2ElementaryTOCFLL1HSKKL1CEFRA1

Podcast: 笑

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Podcast: 笑

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 笑

Quick Contrast

笑 (xiào) vs 嘲笑 (cháoxiào) — use 笑 for general smiling or laughing, while 嘲笑 specifically means to mock or ridicule.

Memory Mnemonic

Imagine a happy face (the radical '竹' resembles bamboo, often associated with nature and joy) surrounded by laughter (the character itself). Picture someone giggling in a bamboo forest, which helps you recall that 笑 means to laugh.

Usage Notes

Be mindful of the tone when pronouncing 笑, as a mispronunciation may change the meaning entirely. It is commonly used in both informal and formal contexts, but be cautious when using it in serious discussions. Typical collocations include 笑话 (joke) and 笑容 (smile).

HSK Study Tips

As an HSK Level 2 word, 笑 connects to other basic verbs related to emotions, such as 哭 (kū, to cry) and 爱 (ài, to love). Focus on using it in simple sentences to express feelings or reactions.

Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, smiling and laughter are important for maintaining harmony in social interactions. People may smile even in uncomfortable situations to promote goodwill.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 笑 with 哭 (kū, to cry), leading to sentences like '我笑了' (wǒ xiào le) when they mean to express sadness. Always ensure you are using the correct verb for the emotion you wish to convey.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 笑

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Etymology of 笑

Formation TypeIdeographic 指事
六书 ClassificationIdeograph (指事字)~2% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. ⺮ represents the meaning and 夭 represents the sound. The connection between 竹 (bamboo) and 笑 (laugh) is unclear.

Memory Hint

A person 夭 with a big grin ⺮

Learn more about Ideograph (指事字) characters
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 笑?

Decomposition of 笑

IDS Structure⿱⺮夭
笑Full Character
=
⺮zhu2
top
夭yao1
bottom
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 笑?

Write 笑

笑

Practice writing 笑 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Grammar Patterns of 笑

笑 functions as a verb — the action or state of the sentence. The Chinese order is Subject + Verb + Object (我吃饭). Negate it with 不 (habitual / future) or 没(有) (completed action). Add aspect markers like 了, 过, 着 directly after the verb. It carries 4 related meanings, each with its own usage notes below. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.

Related grammar lessons6
Exercise 1 of 4

Complete the Sentence

她对我____了。

She smiled at me.

Example Sentences for 笑 (10)

Listen to all sentences once to receive XP
1
我觉得他们嘲笑我是因为我长得丑。

wǒ jué dé tā mén cháo xiào wǒ shì yīn wéi wǒ cháng dé chǒu。

I thought they were laughing at me because I was ugly.
2
队友们经常开我的玩笑。

duì yǒu mén jīng cháng kāi wǒ de wán xiào。

I got quite a lot of ribbing from my team-mates.
3
莫利笑话我糟糕的方向感。

mò lì xiào huà wǒ zāo gāo de fāng xiàng gǎn。

Molly razzed me about my rotten sense of direction.
4
我发现当我们的目光相遇时，我本能地还以微笑。

wǒ fā xiàn dāng wǒ mén de mù guāng xiāng yù shí， ， wǒ běn néng dì huán yǐ wēi。

I found myself smiling back instinc-tively when our eyes met.
5
然后，他忽然露出笑容，说道：“我给你带了一样东西。”

rán hòu， ， tā hū rán lòu chū xiào， róng ，：“ shuō dào ：“ wǒ gěi nǐ dài le yī。”

Then, breaking into a smile, he said, "I brought you something."
6
“谢谢你，医生，”护士傻笑着说。

“ “ xiè xiè， nǐ ，，” yī shēng ，” hù shì shǎ。

"Thank you doctor," said the nurse with a simper.
7
托尼微笑着举起杯子。“为你干一杯，埃米。”

tuō ní wēi xiào zháo jǔ qǐ bēi zǐ。“ 。“ wéi nǐ gān yī， bēi ，。”

Tony smiled and lifted his glass. "Here's to you, Amy."
8
他们听见酒瓶摔碎的声音，然后是一阵更喧闹的笑声。

tā mén tīng jiàn jiǔ píng shuāi suì de shēng yīn， ， rán hòu shì yī zhèn gēng xuān nào de xiào。

They heard a bottle being smashed, then more raucous laughter.
9
我可不是开玩笑,事情够麻烦的了.

wǒ kě bù shì kāi wán xiào, , shì qíng gòu má fán de.

I'm serious, things are difficult enough as they are.
10
这笔交易看上去太诱人了，要是拒绝它简直是笑话。

zhè bǐ jiāo yì kàn shàng qù tài yòu rén le， ， yào shì jù jué tā jiǎn zhí shì xiào。

The deal seems so attractive it would be ridiculous to say no.

Cultural Notes for 笑

🏮Cultural insight

In Chinese culture, smiling and laughter are important for maintaining harmony in social interactions. People may smile even in uncomfortable situations to promote goodwill.

Word Family of 笑

Words Containing This Character20
笑xiàolaugh
玩笑to joke
微笑wēixiàosmile
开玩笑kāiwánxiàoto play a joke開玩笑
笑话xiàohuajoke笑話
笑容xiàoróngsmile
好笑hǎoxiàolaughable
可笑kěxiàofunny
嘲笑cháoxiàoto jeer at
笑声xiàoshēnglaughter笑聲
冷笑lěngxiàoto sneer
大笑to laugh heartily
笑脸xiàoliǎnsmiling face笑臉
取笑qǔxiàoto tease
苦笑kǔxiàoto force a smile
欢笑to laugh happily歡笑
说笑to chat and laugh說笑
傻笑to giggle
哈哈大笑to laugh heartily
笑意smiling expression
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 笑 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 笑

You can say '他笑了' (tā xiào le), which means 'He smiled/laughed.'