Last Update: 7 October 2023
We can probably all agree that laughter is a universal language of joy that knows no borders. But... when it is expressed in writing, even a good laugh can get lost in translation. Here I've tried to gather a small overview of how "hahah" is written in other countries and languages. By paying attention to the details in localization, you can more easily connect and gain the trust of your target audience. Let's have a closer look.
Why the right "hahah" is no laughing matter
Okay okay – if you're translating a legal text, this might not be the kind of content you run into. But if you work on apps, games, or other types of entertainment platforms, you might be surprised at how often you run into this type of localizing internet slang or text message language.
On top of that, you might be familiar with how different types of laughing actually indicate different moods. "Haha" doesn't convey the same message as "HAHAHA" or "teehee". And let's not even get started on the evolution from laughing smiley 🤣 to the skull emoji 💀.
These are effective ways to transmit a sense of nativeness to the target group – who won't only feel that your message is effectively targeting them as native speakers of that particular language, but depending on the type of laughter you pick, it might be even more relatable to their subgroup in society (teenager, millennial, etc.).
Check the below screenshots taken from the app BeFriend on the App Store. Here you see how they localized "Ha Ha Ha" into "Ja Ja Ja". Well, they did also mix some German in there (look carefully at the chat messages), so maybe it's not the best of examples of successful localization – but you get the drift.
Let's Laugh Out Loud
The Classic "Haha" for English 🇺🇸
From English, and many other languages, we know the classic "haha", which is simple, straightforward, and effective. But be aware, if you serve it too dry, it might be misinterpreted: don't be afraid to turn "haha" into the more joyful "hahahaha" if you REALLY think it's funny.
Other popular internet abbreviations are ROFL (rolling on the floor laughing), LMAO (laughing my ass off) and LOL (laughing out loud) – just to mention a few.
The Germanic variants "hehe" and "hihi" 🇩🇪🇩🇰🇸🇪🇳🇱
Across Germany, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, and other countries, you'll see a lot of variants of the original "haha", such as "hihih" or even "hæhæh" and "høhøhø". As well as the OG "hahah". So if you're a native English speaker, there is little chance of getting lost in translation here. It should also be mentioned that these forms are all present in other languages, as well as a direct impact of internet culture. I personal favorite of mine is the Icelandic "híhí". How cute is that?
The Spanish "Jajaja" 🇪🇸
If we now take a look at Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries, we'll find people enthusiastically using "jajaja" or even "jejeje". The "j" in Spanish is pronounced somewhat like an "h" in English, so it definitely gives the original "hahaha" a spicy twist. However, if you speak a Germanic language, this might be the cause of much confusion as "ja" means "yes" and it could look like they're saying "yes yes yes". (Imagine the confusion when both are mixed as in the screenshot above!).
The French "Mdr" 🇫🇷
If you thought France couldn't get any more French, think again. Of course, they also have their own VF (version française) of "hahaha", as well. In French, you'll often see "MDR," which is short for "mort de rire" and literally translates into "dying of laughter." If you're really funny, you might get a "mdrrrr".
If you're laughing even harder, you can use the abbreviation “PTDR“ or "pété de rire". While "péter" can mean to fart, it's general a more casual way to say "casser" (to break). So while it probably means “broken with laughter” and not “laughing so hard I farted", the latter is still pretty funny.
The Brazilian Portuguese "Rsrsrs" or "kkkk" 🇧🇷
Brazilians love all things laughter and they've mastered the meme game like no one else. They've also managed to find their very own unique internet laughter with "rsrsrs." It comes from the Portuguese word for laughter "risos", but nowadays you'll just as often see "kkkk" which is supposed to mimic the sound. But who said you can't have it all? If you're the kind of person that doesn't want to settle, you can go for the hybrid version "krkrkrkkrkr".
The Italian "ahahah" 🇮🇹
How to laugh online in Italian? Well, just like in other Latin languages you'll see the letter "h", but the pronunciation is nowhere to be found. With the aspired "h" sound out of the way, the Italians have instead chosen to start the other way around, meaning you'll see "ahahah" and "eheheh" as the preferred internet laugh.
The Korean "ㅋㅋㅋ" (Kekeke) 🇰🇷
In South Korea, "ㅋㅋㅋ" or "kekeke" is the most common way to express laughter online, although they're many different versions. The more "ㅋ"s you use, the harder you're laughing. Other's could be 와하하 (wahaha), ㅎㅎㅎ (hehehe) or ㅉㅉㅉ (jjeojjeo). Did you know that the word 폭소 (pokso) or "uproarious laughter" comes from the hanja 爆笑? You can see more about that expression under the section with Japanese and Chinese.
The Japanese "www" 🇯🇵
This Japanese online expression for "haha" has been on a bit of a journey starting with 笑. The character 笑 (warai) literally means laughter. You can find this in other common combinations like "big laughter" / "大笑" (taishou or oowarai) or "bursting into laughter /explosive laugher" / "爆笑" (bakushou) or sometimes even used as 笑笑笑 in the same way as you see "hahah". The latter turned into "www" over time.
With many different character combinations in Japanese and Chinese, you'll be able to find many idioms that can also signify happiness and laughter e.g. 喜色満面 (ki-shoku-man-men) meaning "all smiles".
Fun fact: While you can come across "haha" written in hiragana はは or katakana ハハ, you need to be careful with these in Japanese as the pronunciation also means "(my) mother" (母).
The Chinese "哈哈哈" 🇨🇳
Just like in Japanese, you can find 大笑 (dàxiào) and 爆笑 (bàoxiào) written in Mandarin Chinese. In modern Chinese, you'll more often see the two onomatopoeia "呵呵" (hēhē) and "哈哈" (hāhā). The latter is now considered more straightforward, while "呵呵" comes across as a bit more mischievous. You can also find the combination 呵呵大笑 (hēhē dàxiào).
In mainland China, you'll also find the internet slang "233" meaning LOL. The harder you laugh, the more 3s you add – 23333. It comes from the 233rd emoji on the Chinese bulletin board system (BBS) MOP.com.
The Indonesian "Wkwkwk" 🇮🇩
If you look at Indonesian youth internet slang, you'll find the very popular "wkwkwk". This, too, is supposed to mimic the sound of laughter. You'll most likely also come across variations such as "wakaka" and "xixi".
The Malay "ha3" 🇲🇾
While Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Melayu might be close, you'll find plenty of interesting differences. How to laugh online is just one of them. In Malaysia, you'll often see the expression "ha3", which simply just means that you have "ha" three times: hahaha. That's what I call time efficient.
The Russian "хаха" 🇷🇺
Today you'll most likely run into "лол" (LOL) and "xaxaxa" when looking for how to laugh in Russian. Slightly more old-school versions would be "бггггг" or "ггггг" ("bgggggg", "ggggggg") but they have become somewhat outdated in most parts of the Russian-speaking world. Russian doesn't have the "h" sound as in English, so it's often repladed with either "г" (g) "x" (kh). While "гггггг" and "бггггг" might not be as popular in Russia anymore, it's still used in countries like Bulgaria, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and others.
The Greek "χαχα" 🇬🇷
Just like in Russian, the Greeks have gone for the transliteration of "lol" and "haha" – "λολ" and "χαχα" respectively. However, in Greek, if you want to express a bit more sarcasm, you should go for "χοχο" (“khokho”) – but don't confuse it with the English "xoxoxo" (hugs and kisses) that can sometimes have the meaning in Greek.
The Greeks are an expressive people, so no wonder they have bunch of other expressions available when they have to laugh online. The expression "χεχε" (khekhe) is a sneaky laughter and "χιχι" (khikhi) has a bit more of a feminine touch to it,m like a giggle. If you want to add a bit of villain to your laughter online, then go for "μπουχαχα" (buxaxa), or “χα0χα0χα0” when trolling someone.
The Arabic "هههه" 🇪🇬
If you want to laugh online in Arabic, this is your pick. Across the Arabic-speaking world, you'll find "هههههههه" (hhhhh) as the most common way of writing it. Arabic has another letter that approximately corresponds to the h "ح" or "حححح" but is harsher from the back of the throat. It's worth noticing that "حححح" is not used as LOL in Arabic.
The Farsi "خخخخ" 🇮🇷
In Persian languages (Farsi and Pashto), they have – compared to Arabic – opted for the harsher خ and ended up with "kh-kh-kh". This harsh "kh" sound is sometimes said out loud in real conversations when they want to portray a sarcastic laugh. Less commonly, you'll see "ها ها ها" (hā hā hā).
The Hebrew "חחח" 🇮🇱
Just like in Arabic and Persian, vowels are often omitted in Hebrew, and you, therefore, see "חחח" (kh-kh-kh) as the Hebrew equivalent to "haha". The Israelis will also use expressions such as לול (lol) or the slightly softer ההה (hhh) when laughing online.
The Hindi "EK Number" 🇮🇳
English is widespread in India and, thus, you'll often see "haha" written everywhere. However, the expression "EK number" is very particular to the Indian subcontinent. The word for 1 in Hindi is "ek" and the phrase here roughly translates as "I rate this number one" or "this is a number one for me". You'll often see this if you make a good joke.
The Thai "555" 🇹🇭
The use of "555" in Thailand deserves an honorable mention for being a fun, new twist to "hahaha". The letter five is written as "๕" in Thai script, but is pronounced "ha". So, typing "555" is essentially saying "hahaha". Fits perfectly with the Land of Smiles!
The Turkish "kdsdksdks" 🇹🇷
When talking about laughing online in different languages, Turkish is truly a unique case and probably one of the most original. Young people in Turkey will just go a little bit crazy on the keyboard and up with a completely random sequence of letters e.g. "gdixfdwkajhxda" or "dkdkkd". This is supposed to give the impression that something is so funny that you basically can't control yourself or fall on the keyboard. Just that scenario in itself makes you giggle. So go ahead and go crazy with laughter!
Other honorable mentions
🇬🇪 Georgian transliteration of Lol – ლოლ
🇺🇦 Ukranian "lil" – ліл
🇯🇲 Jamaican "DWL" – "dead wid laugh" – dead with Laughter
Conclusion
If laughter is the best medicine, it's important to notice that in the world of text-based communication, the prescription varies from one language to another. However, effective localization is the cure. So next time you want to spread some joy online or make your target audience laugh across the digital realm, remember that you need to pick carefully from "hahah", "høhøh", "jajaj", or even "kkkk" – the devil is in the details.
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