1.
fake smile; false laugh; forced laugh
A smile or laugh that is not genuine, put on to be polite, to hide discomfort, or to deceive.
嘘笑いでごまかした。
I covered it up with a fake smile.
あの人の笑顔は嘘笑いだと思う。
I think that person's smile is fake.
嘘笑いばかりしていると、本当の笑顔を忘れてしまう。
If you keep putting on fake smiles, you'll forget what a real smile feels like.
上司のつまらない冗談に嘘笑いで付き合った。
I went along with my boss's unfunny joke with a forced laugh.
A compound of 嘘 (lie) + 笑い (laugh/smile). Describes an insincere smile or laugh used socially — to be polite, to hide true feelings, or to avoid awkwardness. A very relatable concept in Japanese social life, where maintaining harmony often requires masking one's true reactions.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 嘘笑いをする: to fake a smile/laugh
- 嘘笑いでごまかす: to cover something up with a fake smile
- 嘘笑いに付き合う: to play along with forced laughter
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 愛想笑い: polite smile, social smile (less negative; implies courtesy rather than deception)
- 作り笑い: forced smile (similar meaning, slightly more common)
- 苦笑い: bitter smile, wry smile (acknowledges awkwardness openly)