笑(わら)い声(ごえ)

わらいごえ

noun

laughter; sound of laughing

communication

1. laughter; sound of laughing

The audible sound of someone laughing. Focuses on the sound itself rather than the act of laughing.

笑(わら)い声(ごえ)が聞(き)こえる。

I can hear laughter.

子(こ)どもたちの笑(わら)い声(ごえ)が公園(こうえん)に響(ひび)いた。

Children's laughter echoed through the park.

隣(となり)の部屋(へや)から大(おお)きな笑(わら)い声(ごえ)が漏(も)れてきて、気(き)になって眠(ねむ)れなかった。

Loud laughter was coming from the next room, and it bothered me so much I couldn't sleep.

A compound of 笑(わら)い (laughing) and 声(こえ) (voice/sound), where 声(こえ) becomes 声(ごえ) through rendaku. This word emphasizes the audible aspect of laughter — what you hear — rather than the facial expression or the act of laughing itself.

Common collocations

笑(わら)い声(ごえ)が聞(き)こえる: to hear laughter
笑(わら)い声(ごえ)が響(ひび)く: laughter echoes/rings out
笑(わら)い声(ごえ)を上(あ)げる: to raise a laugh, to burst out laughing
大(おお)きな笑(わら)い声(ごえ): loud laughter
笑(わら)い声(ごえ)が止(と)まらない: can't stop laughing

Similar words

笑(わら)い: laughter, a laugh — the act or fact of laughing, broader than the sound
哄笑(こうしょう): roar of laughter — literary, describing loud group laughter
微笑(びしょう): smile — visual rather than audible

Related words

The ～声(ごえ) pattern creates many sound-related nouns: 泣(な)き声(ごえ) (crying sound), 叫(さけ)び声(ごえ) (shout), 話(はな)し声(ごえ) (speaking voice).

Related Words

Compare: 哄笑(こうしょう) (roar of laughter)

Compare: 微笑(びしょう) (smile)

general

Added 2026.4.19 18:17 · Revised 2026.10.4 4:16

24000/24414_waraigoe