Japanese symbol for “grin”
笑いかける
わらいかける
Romaji: waraikakeru
to smile (at); to grin (at)
In Japanese, grin is 笑いかける, read わらいかける (waraikakeru).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- v1, vi to smile (at); to grin (at)
Written forms: 笑いかける、笑い掛ける. Readings: わらいかける.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “grin”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 頬が緩む | ほおがゆるむ hoogayurumu | to grin |
| 若気る | にやける niyakeru | to break into a smile; to grin |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 笑顔 | えがお egao | smiling face; smile |
| 笑い | わらい warai | laugh; laughter |
| 笑う | わらう warau | to laugh |
| 微笑 | びしょう bishou | smile |
| 笑い声 | わらいごえ waraigoe | (sound of) laughter; laughing voice |
| 苦笑 | くしょう kushou | bitter smile; wry smile; strained laugh |
See also: Chinese symbol for “grin”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.