Tell me more ×
Japanese Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for students, teachers, and linguists wanting to discuss the finer points of the Japanese language. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 18 down vote favorite
2

You see a lot of w and ww and even www in Twitter and casual chat. What does it mean? I've always thought it was わいわい but never found out. How is it pronounced?

Here's an example from Twitter

なんでじゃろうねwwとりあえず電車なうだから間に合いそう笑

share|improve this question
Do you mean SMSs? – Andrew Grimm Sep 3 '11 at 1:44
1  
Social Network Services :) – nevan king Sep 3 '11 at 13:34

4 Answers

up vote 12 down vote accepted

They derive from 笑う(わらう). They're the Japanese equivalent of "LOL".

share|improve this answer
2  
And it can have kind of derisive... – Nate Glenn Jun 1 '11 at 1:04
up vote 0 down vote

As the others have said, the "w" stands for 笑う(わらう).

You might also see someone write "ちょwww" online. This is similar to somebody saying "ちょ~かわいい" if you've seen that line before. In this case, the ちょ is actually 超(ちょう) so "ちょwww" would translate into something like "so funny" or "very funny" compared to the standard "www" or "wwwwwwwww (ad infinitum)" which would just be "lol" and "roflmao".

share|improve this answer
4  
My understanding (as a native Japanese speaker without professional knowledge in linguistics) is that ちょ in “ちょｗｗｗ” comes from ちょっと待て, not 超. ちょっと待て literally is a command “wait a moment,” but in this case it is used to express surprise (in a similar way to the English expression “Give me a break!”). – Tsuyoshi Ito Jun 1 '11 at 11:59
I was finally able to ask my Japanese friend to cross reference what you said and he agrees. Thank you for pointing this out, Tsuyoshi. – rcjsuen Jun 10 '11 at 13:56
You are welcome, and thanks for the update! – Tsuyoshi Ito Jun 10 '11 at 15:13
@Tsuyoshi sry do you mind explaining the used to express surprise ? so does "ちょｗｗｗ" means "Give me a break"? – Pacerier Jun 13 '11 at 18:00
2  
@Pacerier: “Give me a break” seemed to be a wrong translation (caused by my misunderstanding of how this phrase is used in English). “Wait a moment” or “hold on” is a better translation. Anyway “ちょｗｗｗ” is an Internet slang used when someone did a funny thing to denote that the speaker is surprised and wants to say “ちょっと待て” or “ちょっと待って” (Wait a moment), but he/she cannot finish the sentence because he/she is laughing. – Tsuyoshi Ito Jun 13 '11 at 21:16
show 4 more comments
up vote 7 down vote

www is Internet slang like lol in Japanese. It stands for warai (笑い), often used on online message boards

笑 is like www, it's another internet slang, like lol in Japanese.　You will also see people adding 笑 at the end of sentences on the Internet just like the example you gave.

share|improve this answer
up vote 2 down vote

It is an abbreviation for warai (laugh), and it comes from gamer slang. It can be translated as "LOL."

share|improve this answer
1  
I would argue that a single (or small number of) w is a lot weaker than the LOL - more like a grin or chuckle, so to speak. – bdonlan Jun 1 '11 at 0:40
2  
Yeah, I agree. Okay, w = *g*, www = LOL, wwwwwwwww = lolololol? :D – Amanda S Jun 1 '11 at 0:44
shouldn't it be l0oo00ol – Pacerier Jun 13 '11 at 17:57

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.