How To Laugh Online in 23 Different Languages

Laughter may be a universal language when spoken in person, but online, it’s a whole different thing. In English, we say “haha” or “LOL,” but other languages use different onomatopoeias and acronyms.

Recent research from Preply shows the many ways other cultures express laughter online, and they’ll make you smile.

Mapping the World’s Laughter

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Preply research examined 26 different countries to determine how they expressed amusement online. Though acronyms like “LOL” and “LMAO” are used in several places outside the United States, many countries have their own distinct way of expressing laughter on the internet.  

1: Thai

Traditional boats in Phuket, Thailand.
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“55555” is one way the people of Thailand show amusement through text. This may seem strange, but it makes sense when you realize the number five is pronounced “Haa” in Thai. 

2: Portuguese

Trolly in Lisbon.
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Portugal and Brazil use “kkkkk” to express laughter. In Portuguese, the letter “k” sounds like “kah,” which helps explain “kkkkk.”

3: Turkish

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Turkish speakers sometimes use “hahaha,” but they’re more likely to resort to a mix of random letters like “dhjkaiewshkl” to show they’re cracking up. 

4: Malay

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You could shorten “hahaha” to “ha” times three, which is essentially what Malay speakers do. If they think something is funny they might say “Ha3Ha3Ha3” or just, “Ha3.”

5: French

Quaint street in France.
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French speakers sometimes say “hoho” or “hihi” to show laughter. Other times, they say “MDR,” which is short for “mort de rire,” or dead laughing. 

6: Mandarin

Great Wall of China.
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In mainland China, number slang is common, perhaps because pinyin, the Romanized system for typing Chinese characters, is hard to use. Strings of numbers exist for all sorts of expressions, including laughter. Mandarin speakers often use 23333 to show that something’s funny.   

7: Hindi

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Hindi speakers split their forms of laughter into gender categories. Men tend to say “haha,” and women say “hehe.” Sometimes, they also use “EK number,” which loosely translates to “For me this is number one.” 

8: Bengali

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Bengali is the second most spoken language in India, and its laughter looks nothing like the Hindi version. In Bengali, “haha” looks like this: মজাই মজা. 

9: Urdu

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Urdu is the official language of Pakistan. To express laughter in Urdu, you’d write “ہا” which means “ha.” To laugh harder, just add more “ہا.”

10: Spanish

Ceramic in Seville, Spain.
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Spanish speakers write “jajaja” instead of “hahaha.”  “Jejeje” expresses irony, and “jijiji” is more like a mischievous giggle. 

11: Arabic

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Laughter in standard Arabic is “هههههههههه,” which sounds like “hahaha.” Though each Arab nation has its own dialect of Arabic, “هههههههههه” is recognized across all of them. 

12: Ukrainian

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Ukrainian speakers use “ахахаха” to show amusement. To express sarcasm, it changes to “азаза.” 

13: Russian

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Russians also use “axaxaxa,” to express laughter online alongside their version of “LOL,” which looks like “лол.” Though it’s not on-trend to do so anymore, many Russian speakers used to use “ггггг.” 

14: Indonesian

Green Bowl Beach in Bali, Indonesia.
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Indonesian speakers often use a “k” instead of a “h” because “k” is easier to type. Laughter in Indonesian is often expressed. “wakaka,” or “wkwkwk.”

15: German

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German speakers tend to be fans of asterisks to denote expressions. So, alongside “haha” and “lol,” they might type *lach* which means smile or laugh. 

16: Japanese

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In Japanese, the words “smile” and “laughter” both begin with “w.” So, Japanese speakers use “www” to show they’re cracking up. 

17: Korean

Busan, South Korea.
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When Koreans use the Latin alphabet, they tend to express laughter as “k-k-k-k-k.” In Korean, it would look like “ㅋㅋㅋ.”

18: Vietnamese

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Vietnamese speakers use several forms of laughter. “Hihihi,” which is the most common, but you’ll also find “hê hê” and “hì hì.” 

19: Persian Farsi

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Preply researchers found Persian Farsi speakers use a “k” in their laugh. It sounds like “kha-kha-kha” and looks like خخخخخخخخ.

20: Italian

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Italian speakers don’t use a strong “h” sound, so their laughter expressions don’t start with the letter “h.” Instead, they often write “ahahahah” or “eheheh.”

21: Polish

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While “haha” is common in Polish, you may run into something more unique now and then. “Heheszki” means “kicking and laughing” and was a favorite among many younger teens. 

22: Norwegian

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Norwegian laughter sounds the same as American laughter when pronounced, but if you see it written, it might look strange. People tend to type out “Høhøhø” and “Hæhæhæ” in Norway. 

23: Greek

Zakynthos Island, Greece.
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Greek speakers often use “xoxo” when expressing laughter online. However, if you’re talking to a Greek speaker, you’ll want to be careful about this one. Adding just one more “xo” turns it into “hugs and kisses.” 

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