waraimasen

Waraimasen is a romanization that can refer to more than one Japanese phrase, depending on the intended kanji and context. Most often it represents わらいません (warai masen), the polite negative form of the verb 笑う (warau), meaning “to laugh.” As such, わらいません means “do not laugh” or “will not laugh,” and is used in formal or instructional speech as well as in written instructions.

In ordinary Japanese, the polite nonpast negative form of warau is formed by attaching ません to the masu-stem: わらいません. The phrase is more common in formal writing or scenarios where a speaker addresses an audience or reader with politeness. It tends to be less common in casual conversation, where alternatives like 笑わない (warawanai) or 笑いません is still appropriate but may feel stilted in everyday speech.

A frequent source of confusion for learners is mistaking わらいません for わかりません (wakarimasen), which means “I don’t understand” or “I don’t know.” These phrases have different roots and meanings, but their similar romanizations can lead to errors when kana are not written or when learners rely on approximate pronunciation.

Examples:

- この冗談には笑いません。 I will not laugh at this joke.

- 彼はそんな場面で笑いませんでした。 He did not laugh in such a situation.

See also: wakarimasen, warau, warawanai.