Japanese symbol for “joking”

口可笑

くちおかし

Romaji: kuchiokashi

witty talking; joking

In Japanese, joking is 口可笑, read くちおかし (kuchiokashi).

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

n witty talking; joking

Kanji and stroke order

口

mouth

on: コウ、ク
kun: くち

3 strokes · JLPT 4

可

can, passable, approval

on: カ、コク
kun: -べ.き、-べ.し

5 strokes · JLPT 2

笑

laugh

on: ショウ
kun: わら.う、え.む

10 strokes · JLPT 2

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
人口	じんこう jinkou	population
悪口	わるぐち waruguchi	(verbal) abuse; speaking ill of people; bad-mouthing
窓口	まどぐち madoguchi	counter; window; teller window
出口	でぐち deguchi	exit; way out
入り口	いりぐち iriguchi	entrance; entry; gate
口座	こうざ kouza	account (e.g. bank)
可能	かのう kanou	possible; potential; practicable
許可	きょか kyoka	permission; approval; authorization
笑顔	えがお egao	smiling face; smile

See also: Chinese symbol for “joking”.

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.