Proverb / Kotowaza
似非者の空笑い
An insincere or forced smile used by a person to hide their true intentions or feelings.
The forced laughter of a fake person
Quick Answer
An insincere or forced smile used by a person to hide their true intentions or feelings.
- Literal Image
- The forced laughter of a fake person
- Closest Equivalent
- A forced smile
- How to Use It
- Used to describe someone whose friendliness is perceived as fake or to criticize the insincerity of social masks used in professional or political contexts.
Meaning
This expression refers to a person who puts on a false smile while lacking sincerity or genuine emotion. It describes the act of smiling or laughing purely for the sake of appearances, used to maintain a polite facade while harboring different thoughts or motives.
Literal Image
The forced laughter of a fake person
Equivalent Proverbs
A forced smile
Describes a smile made without real feeling.
Laughing on the outside, crying on the inside
While listed as an equivalent, the Japanese term focuses more on general insincerity than specifically on sadness.
How to Use It
Used to describe someone whose friendliness is perceived as fake or to criticize the insincerity of social masks used in professional or political contexts.
Tone
Carries a critical or suspicious nuance toward the person putting on the smile.
Examples
彼の笑顔はいつも似非者の空笑いのようで、目が全く笑っていない。
His smile is always like the forced laughter of an insincere person; his eyes aren't smiling at all.
取引先には似非者の空笑いを貼り付けて愛想よく振る舞うが、裏では全く別のことを考えている。
I put on an insincere smile and act friendly with clients, but I'm thinking something completely different behind their backs.
政治家の演説後の作り笑いは似非者の空笑いそのもので、有権者には見透かされていた。
The politician's fake smile after the speech was the very definition of insincere laughter, and the voters saw right through it.
Learning Notes
Key Vocabulary
Uses the specialized kanji '似非' (ese) and the idiomatic compound '空笑い' (sorawarai), though the grammar is straightforward.
似非者
えせもの / esemono
sham; fake person; insincere person
空笑い
そらわらい / sorawarai
forced laugh; fake smile
Usage Profile
Usage note: This is a critical term and should not be used to describe someone's smile to their face unless you intend to insult their sincerity.
Misread Risk
Do not confuse this with genuine laughter; it specifically refers to a fake, surface-level smile used to hide one's true self.
Search As
Related Proverbs
Origin
The term "ese" (似非) refers to something that appears genuine but is actually a fake, or to a person who only maintains appearances. "Sorawarai" (空笑い) refers to a smile that is not from the heart but is merely on the surface. Together, these terms describe and criticize the way a person lacking sincerity puts on a false laugh to hide their true self.
Index
Topics, Situations, and Tags
Topics
Situations
Tags
Source Note
Where did this entry get its data from? The reference links are listed below. To understand how to read this section, see Data Sources.