ジョーク

じょーく
noun
joke
communication
1. joke, jest, witticism
A humorous remark, story, or prank intended to make people laugh. In Japanese, ジョーク tends to imply a more Western-style verbal joke, as opposed to Japanese-style humor.
ジョークを言(い)う。
To tell a joke.
彼(かれ)のジョークに皆(みんな)が笑(わら)った。
Everyone laughed at his joke.
ジョークのつもりだったのに、相手(あいて)を怒(おこ)らせてしまった。
I meant it as a joke, but I ended up making the other person angry.

Usage

ジョーク implies a verbal joke or witty remark. Related terms include 冗談(じょうだん) (joke, kidding — more commonly used in daily conversation), ユーモア (humor), and ギャグ (gag — a comedian's set joke or routine, verbal or physical).

ジョークのつもり means "intended as a joke" and is commonly used when humor is misunderstood.

Common collocations

Related Words

Synonym: 冗談(じょうだん) (more common in daily speech)
general
Added 2026.2.13 5:10 · Revised 2026.10.13 16:39
11000/11052_jooku