Meaning of 笑话
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- joke; jest
- to laugh at; to mock
- ridiculous; absurd
How to use 笑话
As a noun, 笑话 means a joke, often with the verb 讲 or 说: 讲笑话 (jiǎng xiàohua), to tell a joke. As a verb, it means to laugh at or make fun of someone. Example: 别笑话我。 (Bié xiàohua wǒ.) Don't laugh at me.
笑话 is made of 笑 (xiào), to laugh, and 话 (huà), words or talk. Words that make you laugh are a joke, and laughing at someone's words is mocking them.
Common mistake: Learners often say 开笑话 when they mean to joke around. The fixed phrase is 开玩笑 (kāi wánxiào), while a joke you tell is 讲笑话 (jiǎng xiàohua). Also note that 话 is usually read in the neutral tone here, xiàohua, not xiàohuà.
笑话 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
笑 xiào · to laugh · 10 strokes
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话 huà · dialect · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 笑话.
| 电话 | diànhuà | telephone; phone call |
| 说话 | shuōhuà | to speak; to say |
| 打电话 | dǎ diànhuà | to make a telephone call |
| 开玩笑 | kāi wánxiào | to play a joke; to make fun of; to joke |
| 的话 | dehuà | if (coming after a conditional clause) |
| 讲话 | jiǎnghuà | a speech; to speak |
| 对话 | duìhuà | to talk (with sb); dialogue; conversation |
| 普通话 | pǔtōnghuà | Putonghua; standard Mandarin |
| 笑话儿 | xiàohuar | erhua form of 笑話|笑话[xiao4 hua5] |
| 谈话 | tánhuà | to talk (with sb); to have a conversation |
| 话题 | huàtí | subject (of a talk or conversation); topic |
| 话剧 | huàjù | stage play; modern drama |
Questions about 笑话
What does 笑话 mean?
笑话 (xiàohua) means "joke; jest; to laugh at; to mock" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 笑话?
笑话 is made of 2 characters: 笑 (10 strokes), 话 (8 strokes). That is 18 strokes in total.
Is 笑话 an HSK word?
Yes. 笑话 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 笑话 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 笑话 is written 笑話.
Can 笑话 mean something is ridiculous?
Yes. Calling something 笑话 can mean it is absurd or a laughingstock. For example, 这简直是个笑话 (zhè jiǎnzhí shì ge xiàohua) means "This is simply a joke," said about something unreasonable.
What is the difference between 笑话 and 开玩笑?
笑话 is usually a joke as a thing, like a funny story, or the act of mocking someone. 开玩笑 means to kid or tease in conversation, as in 我开玩笑的 (wǒ kāi wánxiào de), I was just kidding.