Definition
Laughing lightly and repeatedly in a nervous, self-conscious, or amused way.
Etymology
From Middle English 'gigelen,' imitative origin. Likely Germanic root, the word sounds playful like the laughter it describes.
Kelly Says
Giggling activates different brain regions than full laughter—it's actually a nervous response, which is why people giggle when embarrassed or in awkward situations!
Translations
AMአማርኛ
ይቅር (yikir)
yee-kir
ARالعربية
ضحك (dhahak)
dhah-hak
BNবাংলা
হাসা (hasa)
ha-sa
DEDeutsch
kichern
ki-chern
ELΕλληνικά
γέλιο (yélio)
yeh-lee-oh
ESEspañol
reírse
re-ee-r-seh
FAفارسی
خندیدن (khandidan)
khand-ee-dan
GUGU
ખસખસ કરવું (khas khas karvu)
khas khas kar-vu
HEעברית
צחוק (tza'chok)
tza-chok
HIहिन्दी
हँसना (hansna)
han-sna
IDBahasa Indonesia
tertawa
ter-ta-wa
ITItaliano
ridere
ree-deh-reh
KKKK
сұңқау (sunqau)
su-ng-kau
MRMR
हसणे (hasane)
has-a-neh
MSBahasa Melayu
tersenyum
ter-se-num
MYမြန်မာ
ရွှေ (shwe)
shwe
NLNederlands
knijlen
kni-len
PLPolski
śmiać się
shmee-at' se
RUРусский
смеяться (smeyatsya)
sme-ya-tsya
SVSvenska
skratta
shkrat-ta
TAதமிழ்
சிரிப்பு (siripupu)
shi-ri-pu-pu
TEతెలుగు
వెలుగు (velu)
ve-lu-gu
THไทย
หัวเราะ (hua rae)
hwa rae
TRTürkçe
kahkaha atmak
kah-kah-ha at-mak
UKУкраїнська
сміятися (smiatytysia)
smi-ya-ty-sia
URاردو
ہنسنا (hansa)
han-sa
ZH中文
咯咯笑 (gēgē xiào)
geh-geh hsiao
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Giggling has been gendered feminine and coded as less serious than masculine laughter since at least the 19th century. It's stereotypically used to diminish women's expressions as frivolous, nervous, or submissive—reinforcing power hierarchies.
Inclusive Usage
Use 'giggling' without gendered assumptions; acknowledge that all genders laugh across a spectrum. Avoid using it to imply lack of seriousness when the person is female.
Inclusive Alternatives
["laughing","chuckling","amused"]