苦笑(くしょう)

くしょう
noun, suru verb
wry smile; bitter smile; forced laugh
1. wry smile; bitter smile; forced laugh
a smile or laugh expressing embarrassment, irony, or resignation rather than genuine amusement
彼(かれ)は苦笑(くしょう)するしかなかった。
He could only smile wryly.
その失敗(しっぱい)を思(おも)い出(だ)して苦笑(くしょう)した。
I smiled bitterly remembering that failure.
自分(じぶん)の間違(まちが)いに苦笑(くしょう)を禁(きん)じ得(え)なかった。
I couldn't help but smile wryly at my own mistake.

VERB FORM:
苦笑(くしょう)する - to smile wryly, to give a bitter smile

ALTERNATE READING:
苦笑(にがわら)い - same meaning, kun'yomi reading

NUANCE:
苦笑(くしょう) expresses a complex emotion - not genuine happiness, but a resigned or ironic reaction. It often occurs when someone is embarrassed, finds something ironically funny, or has no other way to react.

TYPES OF SMILES:

  • 微笑(びしょう) - gentle smile
  • 苦笑(くしょう) - bitter/wry smile
  • 失笑(しっしょう) - involuntary laugh
  • 爆笑(ばくしょう) - roar of laughter
general
Added 2026.1.28 8:50 · Revised 2026.2.19 21:32
08500/08688_kushou