Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 微笑 | wēixiào | /weɪ̯⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Mainland China, standard, Sinological IPA) /weɪ̯³⁵ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Taiwan, standard, dated, variant, Mainland China, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 笑 | xiào | /ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /ɕiau²¹³/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 麻微笑 | bâ-bui-chhiò | /ba²⁴⁻²² bui³³ t͡sʰio⁴¹/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Quanzhou, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese) /ba²⁴⁻¹¹ bui⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sʰio¹¹/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Quanzhou, Sinological IPA, Taipei, General Taiwanese) |
Hokkien |
The verb for to have a smile on one's face can be expressed using several forms depending on the context. You can describe a smile as bright (灿烂), warm (温暖), sweet (甜美) or charming (迷人). If you want to describe a person whose face has blossomed with a smile, you can use the idiom 笑逐颜开.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 微笑 literally means a 'slight smile', combining 微 (tiny/slight) and 笑 (smile/laugh).
Which one should you use?
微笑 is a more formal or literary way to say 'to smile' compared to the general word for laughing or smiling. If you are referring to a 'smile' as a noun (for example, 'a beautiful smile'), use the related noun form 笑容 rather than the verb forms.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hokkien, you can use 麻微笑. In Cantonese, the term 笑 is commonly used to mean 'smile'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To use 'smile' as a noun, such as in the phrase 'a beautiful smile', you should use the noun form 笑容 instead of the verb forms.
How do you pronounce it?
wēixiào is pronounced /weɪ̯⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹/.
Did you know?
- The character for 'smile', 笑, has a strange history where its components once included a 'dog' and 'grass'.
- In Chinese culture, a 'smile' 微笑 can sometimes be used to mask negative emotions, such as anger or embarrassment, to maintain social harmony.
- In some social contexts, a 'slight smile' 微笑 can be perceived as a polite way to signal that someone is disagreeing with you without saying it out loud.
Examples in context
- 他面帶笑容。He had a smile on his face.This sentence is useful for showing how to use the noun form of 笑 to describe someone having a smile on their face.Tatoeba #928892 by egg0073, translation #928890 by CM
- 我試著微笑。I tried to smile.This sentence shows how to use the verb 微笑 to express the act of smiling.Tatoeba #6065919 by verdastelo9604, translation #5852408 by CK
- 她淡淡一笑。She gave a faint smile.This sentence demonstrates the use of the verb 笑 to describe a faint smile.Tatoeba #13890362 by jan_OkulaJu, translation #253312 by Nuel
- 请微笑Please smile
- 他咧嘴笑得很欢快He smiled widely with great delight.
- 42 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are taking a photo together.
- 浩然 Haoran雨婷，拍照的時候請微笑。Yǔtíng, pāizhào de shíhòu qǐng wēixiào.Yuting, please smile when taking the photo.
- 雨婷 Yuting好的，浩然，我現在在微笑。Hǎo de, Hàorán, wǒ xiànzài zài wēixiào.Okay, Haoran, I am smiling now.
- 浩然 Haoran太棒了，你看起來很開心。Tài bàng le, nǐ kàn qǐlái hěn kāixīn.Great, you look very happy.
- 雨婷 Yuting謝謝，你也要微笑哦！Xièxiè, nǐ yě yào wēixiào ó!Thanks, you should smile too!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “smile” translations and entries 微笑, 笑, 麻微笑, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 笑, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
