スマイリー
sumairī
The English word "smiley" is translated into Japanese as スマイリー (sumairī).
スマイリー is a loanword used primarily to refer to a specific brand or character design of a smiley face, rather than a generic description of a smiling person.
Meaning: representation of a smiling face (noun)
Which one should you use?
While スマイリー refers to a specific character or brand, you can use ニコちゃんマーク to more descriptively refer to a smiley face icon or symbol. If you want to describe a smile or a smiling face in an informal way, you can use the phrase Niko niko (ニコニコ).
How do you pronounce it?
sumairī
Did you know?
- In Japan, the 'smiley' concept extends to the 絵文字 or emoji. The word comes from 絵 meaning 'picture' and 文字 meaning 'letter'.
- While ニコニコ describes a smile, the slightly different ニヤニヤ describes a smirk or a mischievous grin. Using the wrong one can change a friendly 'smiley' into something suspicious.
- The word ニコニコ is so ingrained in the culture that it became the name of one of the world's largest video live-streaming platforms, Nico Nico Douga.
Examples in context
- 彼女はいつも明るくて素敵な笑顔をしています。She always has a bright and lovely smile.
- 彼女はいつもニコニコしていて、とても明るい。She is always smiling and very cheerful.
- 彼はいつもほほえんでいて、優しい人です。He always has a gentle smile and is a kind person.
- スマイリーのステッカーを貼りました。Sumairī no sutekkā o harimashita.I put a smiley sticker on it.
Example conversation
Misaki and Ren are talking about a text message.
- 美咲 Misakiこのスマイリー、いい感じだね。kono sumairii, ii kanji da ne.This smiley feels just right, doesn't it?
- 蓮 Renうん、明るい雰囲気になるね。un, akarui funiki ni naru ne.Yeah, it makes the atmosphere bright.
- 美咲 Misaki蓮ならどのスマイリーを使う？Ren nara dono sumairii o tsukau?Which smiley would you use, Ren?
- 蓮 Ren僕はシンプルなのが好きだよ。boku wa shinpuru na no ga suki dayo.I like the simple ones.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “smiley” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
