草
kusa[kɯ̟̊sa̠]
The English word "grass" is translated into Japanese as 草 (kusa). Wiktionary also lists 雑草 (zassō).
Meaning: ground cover plant (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 草 | kusa | [kɯ̟̊sa̠] (narrow) |
| 雑草 | zassō | [d͡za̠sːo̞ː] (narrow) |
草 is a general term for grass or ground cover plants, but it is not limited strictly to natural grass and can refer to other grass-like plants. In Japanese internet slang, 草 is also used to mean "lol" or "laughing" because the characters resemble blades of grass.
Which one should you use?
While 草 is a general term for grass or plants, 雑草 specifically refers to weeds or unwanted wild plants.
How do you pronounce it?
kusa
When do people say it?
In internet culture, people use 草 to represent laughter. This stems from the visual similarity between the character and blades of grass, as well as its connection to the word warau (to laugh).
Did you know?
- The internet slang usage of 草 as 'laughing' evolved from a string of 'w' characters, which looked like blades of grass.
Examples in context
- 馬は草を食べる。Horses eat grass.This sentence shows how 草 is used as the object of an animal's diet.Tatoeba #2354089 by wakatyann630, translation #1830623 by CK
- 象は草を食べる。Elephants eat grass.This sentence shows another example of an animal eating 草.Tatoeba #8579807 by small_snow, translation #8499285 by shekitten
- 緑は草を連想させる。Green is associated with grass.This sentence demonstrates how the color green is associated with 草.Tatoeba #77800 by wat, translation #325918 by rul
- 公園には美しい草が生えています。Beautiful grass is growing in the park.
- 家の庭には長い草があります。There is long grass in the garden of the house.
- 今日は公園で野球をして、むっちゃ草だらけになった。Today I played baseball in the park and got covered in grass.
- 32 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Yota are looking at a garden.
- 美咲 Misakiこの草はとても綺麗ですね。Kono kusa wa totemo kirei desu ne.This grass is very beautiful, isn't it?
- 陽太 Yota本当だね。手入れが行き届いているよ。Hontou da ne. Teire ga ikitodoite iru yo.You're right. It is well-maintained.
- 美咲 Misaki陽太さんは草を刈ったことがありますか？Youta-san wa kusa o katta koto ga arimasu ka?Yota, have you ever mowed the grass?
- 陽太 Yotaいいえ、一度もありません。Iie, ichido mo arimasen.No, not even once.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grass” translations and entries 草, 雑草, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 草, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
