How to say "humour" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 機嫌きげんnounCovers humour in the sense of a person's mood or temper, as in 'in a good humour'. It describes whether someone is in high or poor spirits, not the comic quality of humour.
- nounCovers the comic sense: the quality of being funny, as in having a sense of humour; it can also mean a joke. It is not used for a person's mood or temper.
Use 機嫌 when humour means a person's mood or temper, and 「ユーモア」 for the comic sense — funniness, jokes, or a sense of humour; the two senses do not overlap.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
This browser can't play pronunciations (needs Safari 18.4 or later, or Chrome / Edge / Firefox).
