Digital language has evolved to create its own code of expressions, emojis, and abbreviations that vary by country and culture. What is a common way to laugh in one language may be incomprehensible or even have a completely different meaning in another.
In Spain and Latin America, laughter in chats is usually written as “hahaha,” while in English, “hahaha” predominates. But if you’ve ever received a “233333,” it’s not a keyboard error: it’s one of the most popular ways to express laughter in China.
This curious numerical code, which to many Westerners seems like a meaningless message, originated in a Chinese forum where laughter was associated with the emoji number 233. Over time, the use of “233” went viral and is now one of the most widespread ways to laugh online in China.
HOW DO CHINESE PEOPLE LAUGH ON THE INTERNET?
The Instagram account Bai Chinese School explained in a post that in China there are several ways to express laughter in chats, and not all of them mean the same thing.
*** (hhh*): It’s the most direct equivalent of “hahaha” in Spanish and is used in a friendly manner.
*** (hhh*): Although it can also sound like laughter, it’s actually passive-aggressive. Its tone is similar to “uh-huh, right,” and it’s often used when someone is annoyed or ironic.
233333: This combination of numbers, although it may seem like a keyboard error, is actually the most common way to express laughter in Chinese chats.
WHY DOES THE NUMBER 233 MEAN LAUGHTER IN CHINA?
The use of “233” as a laugh originated on the Chinese forum Mop, where the number 233 was linked to an emoji of a character laughing exaggeratedly. The image became so popular that users began writing simply “233” instead of using the emoji. Over time, more “3”s were added to emphasize the intensity of the laugh, so now it’s common to see “233333” when something is really funny.
AND IN OTHER COUNTRIES? IT’S NOT ALL “LOL” IN THE DIGITAL WORLD
The way we express laughter online varies by language and culture. Some of the comments on Bai Chinese School’s post reveal how digital laughter changes in different parts of the world. While the most common word in Spanish is “jajaja,” in English the preferred word is “hahaha.”
In other languages, laughter takes completely different forms. In Japan, users write “wwwwww” because the letter “w” comes from the word warau (**), which means “to laugh.” In Brazil, the most common is “kkkkkkkk,” a written representation of the sound of laughter.
In Thailand, numbers are also part of the digital language, and “555” is the equivalent of “hahaha” because the number 5 is pronounced “ha” in Thai.
In Mexico, in addition to the conventional laugh “ha, ha, ha,” other variants are used such as “hahaha,” “jejeje,” “jijiji,” “jojojo,” or “jujuju,” depending on the tone of the conversation or the type of humor.
On the other hand, some users have popularized more graphic forms of laughter, such as the use of “xd” and its variants “xDdd,” “xD,” among others, to express amusement or irony in chats.
