LOL — Mediated Wiki

{{Short description|Internet slang}} {{About|the internet slang acronym}} {{Redirect|Laugh out loud|3=Laugh out loud (disambiguation)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2022}} thumb|Use of "lol" in a conversation '''LOL''', or '''lol''', is an acronym for "'''laughing out loud'''",<ref name="Haig2001" /><ref name="Franzini2002" /><ref name="Egan2004" /><ref name="Meltzer2011" /> and a popular element of Internet slang, which can be used to indicate amusement. It was first used almost exclusively on Usenet, but has since become widespread in other forms of computer-mediated communication and even face-to-face communication. It is one of many acronyms for expressing bodily reactions, in particular laughter, as text, including acronyms for more emphatic expressions of laughter such as '''LMAO'''<ref name=NetlingoLMAO/> ("'''laughing my ass off'''") and '''ROFL'''<ref name=Goudelocke2004/><ref name=Hershock2003/><ref name=Shortis2001/> or '''ROTFL'''<ref name=RaymondSteele1996/><ref name=WilliamsCummiungs1993/> ("'''rolling on the floor laughing'''").

In 2003, the list of acronyms was said to "grow by the month",<ref name=Hershock2003/> and they were collected along with emoticons and smileys into folk dictionaries that are circulated informally amongst users of Usenet, IRC, and other forms of (textual) computer-mediated communication.<ref name=Jones1998/> These acronyms are controversial, and several authors<ref name=LacettiStevens2003/><ref name=SIT2003/><ref name=FondillerNerone2007/><ref name=YunkerBarry2006/> recommend against their use, either in general or in specific contexts such as business communications. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' first listed LOL in March 2011.<ref name="omglol">{{cite web|url=http://articles.cnn.com/2011-03-25/living/oxford.new.words_1_new-words-oxford-english-dictionary-usage?_s=PM:LIVING|title=OMG! Oxford English Dictionary adds new words|author=Anna Stewart|date=March 25, 2011|publisher=CNN|access-date=March 28, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110401061539/http://articles.cnn.com/2011-03-25/living/oxford.new.words_1_new-words-oxford-english-dictionary-usage?_s=PM:LIVING|archive-date=April 1, 2011}}</ref>

==History== [[File:Pratt Inst Library editathon 2019-e jeh (cropped).jpg|thumb|A person literally laughing out loud in a university computer lab]] In the early to mid-1980s,<ref name="Tam2015">{{Cite news |last=Tam |first=Jimmy |date=August 11, 2015 |title=RIP to LOL - the history of laughing out loud |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-33858624 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423143306/https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-33858624 |archive-date=April 23, 2021 |access-date=November 27, 2024 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> Wayne Pearson was reportedly the first person to have used LOL while responding to a friend's joke in a pre-World Wide Web digital chat room called Viewline. Instead of writing "hahaha," as he had done before when he found something humorous, Pearson stated that he instead typed "LOL" to symbolize extreme laughter.<ref>{{cite web |last=Love |first=Shayla |date=March 15, 2022 |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/why-we-use-lol-so-much/ |title=Why We Use "lol" So Much |work=VICE.com |access-date=22 March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Hudes |first1=Sammy |date=7 October 2015 |title=What's it like to coin the term LOL? |url=https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/whats-it-like-to-coin-the-term-lol |work=Calgary Herald |access-date=22 March 2022}}</ref> Although the account is commonly accepted as true, no written record of the conversation has been found, and the exact date of origin is unknown.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=McCulloch |first=Gretchen |url=https://archive.org/details/because-internet/ |title=Because Internet |date=July 23, 2019 |publisher=Riverhead Books |isbn=9780735210936 |language=en}}</ref>{{rp|82-83}} The earliest recorded mention of LOL in the contemporary meaning of "Laughing Out Loud" was made in a list of common online acronyms on the May 8, 1989 issue of the electronic newsletter ''FidoNews'', according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary''<ref name="Tam2015" /> and linguist Ben Zimmer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Collister |first=Lauren B. |date=May 28, 2015 |title=How do you haha? LOL through the ages |url=https://theconversation.com/how-do-you-haha-lol-through-the-ages-41562 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240725033522/https://theconversation.com/how-do-you-haha-lol-through-the-ages-41562 |archive-date=July 25, 2024 |access-date=November 27, 2024 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":1" />{{rp|83}}

A 2003 study of college students by Naomi Baron found that the use of these initialisms in computer-mediated communication (CMC), specifically in instant messaging, was actually ''lower'' than she had expected. The students "used few abbreviations, acronyms, and emoticons". Out of 2,185 transmissions, there were 90 initialisms in total;<ref name="Philipkoski2005" /> 76 were occurrences of LOL.<ref name="Baron2005" />[[File:Buesum molenfeuer lol rofl.JPG|thumb|2008 graffiti featuring LOL and ROFL on the Molenfeuer lighthouse in Büsum, Germany]]On March 24, 2011, LOL, along with other acronyms, was formally recognized in an update of the ''Oxford English Dictionary''.<ref name="omglol" /><ref name="mason">{{cite web |author=Marsia Mason |date=April 4, 2011 |title=OMG, K.I.D.S., IMHO, Needs to Go |url=http://moorestown.patch.com/articles/omg-kids-imho-needs-to-go |access-date=April 9, 2011 |publisher=Moorestown Patch}}</ref> In their research, it was determined that the earliest recorded use of LOL as an initialism was for "little old lady" in the 1960s.<ref name="oed">{{cite encyclopedia |title=New initialisms in the OED |dictionary=Oxford English Dictionary |url=http://www.oed.com/public/latest/latest-update/ |access-date=March 28, 2011 |date=March 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110325151212/http://www.oed.com/public/latest/latest-update/ |archive-date=March 25, 2011 |author=Graeme Diamond |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Gabriella Coleman references "lulz" extensively in her anthropological studies of Anonymous.<ref>{{cite web |last=Norton |first=Quinn |date=July 18, 2010 |title=Why Do Anonymous Geeks Hate Scientologists? |url=https://gizmodo.com/5590049/why-do-anonymous-geeks-hate-scientologists |access-date=February 17, 2012 |website=Gizmodo |archive-date=August 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180811031833/https://gizmodo.com/5590049/why-do-anonymous-geeks-hate-scientologists |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Coleman |first=Gabriella |title=Our Weirdness Is Free: The logic of Anonymous — online army, agent of chaos, and seeker of justice |url=http://canopycanopycanopy.com/15/our_weirdness_is_free |access-date=February 17, 2012 |publisher=Triple Canopy}}</ref>

LOL, ROFL, and other initialisms have crossed from computer-mediated communication to face-to-face communication. David Crystal{{snd}}likening the introduction of LOL, ROFL, and others into spoken language in magnitude to the revolution of Johannes Gutenberg's invention of movable type in the 15th century{{snd}}states that this is "a brand new variety of language evolving", invented by young people within five years, that "extend[s] the range of the language, the expressiveness [and] the richness of the language".<ref name="Ulaby2006" /><ref name="Philipkoski2005" /> However Geoffrey K. Pullum argues that even if interjections such as LOL and ROFL were to become very common in spoken English, their "total effect on language" would be "utterly trivial".<ref name="Pullum2005" />

While LOL originally meant "laughing out loud," modern usage is different, and it is commonly used for irony, as an indicator of second meanings, and as a way to soften statements.<ref name=":1" />

==Analysis== Silvio Laccetti (professor of humanities at Stevens Institute of Technology) and Scott Molski, in their essay entitled ''The Lost Art of Writing'', are critical of the terms, predicting reduced chances of employment for students who use such slang, stating that, "Unfortunately for these students, their bosses will not 'lol' when they read a report that lacks proper punctuation and grammar, has numerous misspellings, various made-up words, and silly acronyms."<ref name=LacettiStevens2003/><ref name=SIT2003/> Fondiller and Nerone in their style manual assert that smileys and abbreviations are "no more than e-mail slang and have no place in business communication".<ref name=FondillerNerone2007/>

Linguist John McWhorter stated, "Lol is being used in a particular way. It's a marker of empathy. It's a marker of accommodation. We linguists call things like that pragmatic particles..." Pragmatic particles are the words and phrases utilized to alleviate the awkward areas in casual conversation, such as ''oh'' in "Oh, I don't know" and ''uh'' when someone is thinking of something to say. McWhorter stated that ''lol'' is utilized less as a reaction to something that is hilarious, but rather as a way to lighten the conversation.<ref>{{cite web|last1=McWhorter|first1=John|title=Txtng is killing language. JK!!!|date=April 22, 2013 |url=https://www.ted.com/talks/john_mcwhorter_txtng_is_killing_language_jk/transcript?language=en#t-485351}}</ref>

Frank Yunker and Stephen Barry, in a study of online courses and how they can be improved through podcasting, have found that these slang terms, and emoticons as well, are "often misunderstood" by students and are "difficult to decipher" unless their meanings are explained in advance. They single out the example of "ROFL" as not obviously being the abbreviation of "rolling on ''the'' floor laughing" (emphasis added).<ref name=YunkerBarry2006/> Matt Haig describes the various initialisms of Internet slang as convenient, but warns that "as ever more obscure acronyms emerge they can also be rather confusing".<ref name=Haig2001/> Hossein Bidgoli advises that such initialisms should be used "only when you are sure that the other person knows the meaning" as they "might make comprehension of the message more difficult for the receiver", and differences in meaning may lead to misunderstandings in international contexts.<ref name=Bidgoli2004/>

Tim Shortis observes that ROFL is a means of "annotating text with stage directions".<ref name=Shortis2001/> Peter Hershock, in discussing these terms in the context of performative utterances, points out the difference between ''telling'' someone that one is laughing out loud and actually laughing out loud: "The latter response is a straightforward action. The former is a self-reflexive representation of an action: I not only do something but also show you that I am doing it. Or indeed, I may not actually laugh out loud but may use the locution 'LOL' to communicate my appreciation of your attempt at humor."<ref name=Hershock2003/>

David Crystal notes that use of LOL is not necessarily genuine, just as the use of smiley faces or grins is not necessarily genuine, posing the rhetorical question "How many people are actually 'laughing out loud' when they send LOL?".<ref name=Crystal2001/> Louis Franzini concurs, stating that there is as yet no research that has determined the percentage of people who are actually laughing out loud when they write LOL.<ref name=Franzini2002/>

Victoria Clarke, in her analysis of telnet talkers, states that capitalization is important when people write LOL, and that "a user who types ''LOL'' may well be laughing louder than one who types ''lol''", and opines that "these standard expressions of laughter are losing force through overuse".<ref name=Clarke2002/> Michael Egan describes LOL, ROFL, and other initialisms as helpful so long as they are not overused. He recommends against their use in business correspondence because the recipient may not be aware of their meanings, and because in general neither they nor emoticons are in his view appropriate in such correspondence.<ref name=Egan2004/> June Hines Moore shares that view.<ref name=Moore2007/> So, too, does Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts, who gives the same advice of not using them in business correspondence, "or you won't be LOL."<ref name="Lindsell-Roberts2004"/>

==Variations on the theme== ===Variants=== {{Redirect|LOLOL|the Chilean town|Lolol}} [[File:Omegalul emote.png|thumb|The '''OMEGA{{shy}}LUL''' Twitch emote is a distorted image of TotalBiscuit originating {{Circa|2013}}.<ref name=":0" />]] * '''lul''': phonetic spelling of LOL. "LUL" is also commonly used in the gaming community, due to it being an emote on Twitch, which depicts game critic TotalBiscuit laughing. * '''lolz''': Occasionally used in place of LOL. * '''lulz''': Often used to denote laughter at someone who is the victim of a prank, or a reason for performing an action. Its use originated with Internet trolls. According to a ''New York Times'' article about Internet trolling, "''lulz'' means the joy of disrupting another's emotional equilibrium."<ref name=Schwartz2008/> Can be used as a noun{{snd}}e.g. "do it for the lulz.", shortened into "ftlulz" (to distinguish it from "ftl"{{snd}}"for the loss"). See also LulzSec. * '''LOLOLOL...''': For added emphasis, LOL can be appended with any number of additional iterations of "OL". In cases such as these, the abbreviation is not to be read literally (i.e., "Laughing out loud out loud out loud out loud"), but is meant to suggest several LOLs in a row. * '''OMEGALUL''' and '''LULW''': variants of "LUL" used as a Twitch emote.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Grayson |first1=Nathan |title=Everything You Always Wanted To Know About The 'Omegalul' Emote (But Were Afraid To Ask) |url=https://kotaku.com/everything-you-always-wanted-to-know-about-the-omegalul-1839784840 |website=Kotaku |access-date=February 12, 2021 |date=November 12, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Çakır|first=Gökhan|date=March 5, 2021|title=Twitch slang and common terms explained|url=https://dotesports.com/streaming/news/twitch-slang-and-common-terms-explained|access-date=December 27, 2021|website=Dot Esports|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Das |first=Abhimannu |date=2021-03-09 |title=What Does OMEGALUL Mean in Twitch Chat and Where Did It Originate? |url=https://afkgaming.com/esports/news/7053-what-does-omegalul-mean-in-twitch-chat-and-where-did-it-originate |access-date=2024-05-31 |website=AFK Gaming |language=en}}</ref> * '''trolololol''' or '''trollololol''': A blend of troll and LOL iterated, likely meant to mimick Eduard Khil's 1976 song I Am Very Glad, As I Am Finally Returning Back Home, which became an internet meme in 2010. Indicates that the prank or joke was made by internet trolls, or the user thinks the prank or joke qualifies as internet trolling.

===Derivations=== [[File:Lolwut cat.jpg|thumb|A 2007 lolcat meme, featuring a humorous misspelling of "LOL, what?"]] * (to) '''LOL''': Used as a verb ("to laugh out loud") and is meant to be conjugated in the appropriate tense. When the past tense is meant, it is written as "LOL(e)d" or "LOL'd". * '''lolwut''' (sometimes "lulwut"): lol + wut, used to indicate bemused laughter, or confusion. * '''lawl''', '''lawlz''', or '''lal''': Pseudo-pronunciation of LOL. Saying "lawl" is sometimes meant in mockery of those who use the term LOL and is not meant to express laughter. * '''Lel''' or '''LEL''' is a "playful or ironic" corruption of LOL. It is sometimes used to mean "laughing extremely loud".<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 27, 2018 |title=lel {{!}} Acronyms {{!}} Dictionary.com |url=https://www.dictionary.com/culture/acronyms/lel |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180710131630/http://www.dictionary.com:80/e/acronyms/lel |archive-date=July 10, 2018 |access-date=January 17, 2026 |website=www.dictionary.com}}</ref> * '''Lolcat''', an image macro of a cat

===Related=== [[File:Roflcopter.gif|thumb|right|An animated ASCII art image popularized in 2004 by memes using the word "roflcopter"]]{{redirect|lqtm|linear quantum Turing machines|Quantum Turing machine}} * '''*G*''' or '''*g*''': For "grins".<ref name="g">{{cite web|url=http://www.internetslang.com/*G*.asp|title=What does *G* mean?|publisher=Internet Slang|access-date=April 16, 2011}}</ref> Like "lulz" it is used in the initialism "J4G" ("just for grins").<ref name="j4g">{{cite web|url=http://www.acronymfinder.com/Slang/J4G.html|title=What does J4G stand for?|publisher=Acronym finder|access-date=April 16, 2011}}</ref> * '''kek''': A term for laughter that originated in online games, possibly either ''World of Warcraft'' or ''StarCraft'', the latter in which Korean players would type "kekeke" as onomatopoeia for laughter.<ref name="Polygon">{{Cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/2017/9/14/16310330/destiny-2-armor-white-nationalist-kek-symbol-explanation|title=Bungie explains how Destiny 2 armor resembling hate symbol made it into the game|first=Samit|last=Sarkar|date=September 14, 2017|access-date=August 4, 2018|work=Polygon}}</ref> It later became associated with alt-right politics,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/in-charlottesville-gop-candidate-for-governor-corey-stewart-allies-with/article_211e1dbc-c324-5664-94d1-186aa24bb5d0.html |title=In Charlottesville, GOP candidate for governor Corey Stewart allies with alt-right-inspired blogger who wants to protect 'glorious Western civilization' |first=Graham |last=Moomaw |newspaper=Richmond Times-Dispatch |date=February 16, 2017}}</ref> in the form of a parody religion surrounding the character Pepe the Frog by analogy with the frog-headed ancient Egyptian god Kek.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://theconversation.com/how-an-ancient-egyptian-god-spurred-the-rise-of-trump-72598 |title=How an ancient Egyptian god spurred the rise of Trump |date=March 7, 2017 |website=The Conversation |access-date=July 18, 2017}}</ref> * '''LMAO''': For "laughing my arse/ass off".<ref name=NetlingoLMAO/> Variants: LMBO ("Laughing my butt off"),<ref>{{Cite web| title = LMBO| year = 2012| work = Online Slang Dictionary| url = http://onlineslangdictionary.com/meaning-definition-of/lmbo| access-date = February 5, 2022}}</ref> LMFAO ("Laughing my fucking ass off"). * '''lqtm''': For "Laughing quietly to myself".<ref name="lqtm">{{cite web|url=http://www.internetslang.com/LQTM.asp|title=What does LQTM mean?|publisher=Internet Slang|access-date=April 12, 2011}}</ref> * '''ROFL''': For "rolling on the floor laughing". It is often combined with LMAO for added emphasis as '''ROFLMAO''' ("Rolling on the floor laughing my ass off") or '''ROFLMFAO''' ("Rolling on the floor laughing my fucking ass off").<ref name="lmao">{{cite web|url=http://www.netlingo.com/word/lmao.php|title=LMAO|publisher=NetLingo|access-date=April 12, 2011}}</ref> * '''roflcopter''': A portmanteau of ROFL and helicopter. A popular glitch in the Microsoft Sam text-to-speech engine enables the voice to make a sound akin to the rotation of rotor blades when 'SOI' or 'SOY' is entered, and the phrase 'My ROFLcopter goes soi soi soi..." is often associated with the term as a result. * '''PMSL''': For "pissing myself laughing". * '''IJBOL''': For "I just burst out laughing".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wang |first=Shirley |date=2023-08-08 |title=What Is IJBOL? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/08/style/ijbol-lol-lmao.html |access-date=2024-08-05 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Gaining popularity among Gen Z, initially popularized within the K-pop fandom. Not derived from Korean.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-14 |title=What does ijbol mean? {{!}} Mashable |website=Mashable |url=https://mashable.com/article/ijbol-explained |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814051632/https://mashable.com/article/ijbol-explained |url-status=dead |archive-date=2023-08-14 |access-date=2024-08-05 }}</ref> * '''XD''', sometimes stylized as '''xD''', '''xd''', or '''Xd''', is an emoticon commonly used to symbolize extreme laughter or happiness.

=== Commonly used equivalents in other languages ===

[[File:Oscar 2.ogg|thumb|right|The continuous radio Morse message "hi hi hi ..." by the first private satellites called OSCAR, beginning with OSCAR 1 in 1961 (recording from OSCAR 2, 1962)]]

Pre-dating the Internet and phone texting by a century, the way to express laughter in morse code is "hi hi".<ref name="u370">{{cite web | last=Collister | first=Lauren B. | title=LOL in the age of the telegraph | website=The Conversation | date=20 May 2024 | url=https://theconversation.com/lol-in-the-age-of-the-telegraph-42578 | access-date=29 September 2024}}</ref> The sound of this in morse ('di-di-di-dit di-dit, di-di-di-dit di-dit') is thought to represent chuckling.<ref name=Dinkins2010a/><ref name=Dinkins2010b/>

* 555: the Thai variation of LOL. "5" in Thai is pronounced "ha", three of them being "hahaha" ({{Lang|th|ห้า ห้า ห้า}}).<ref>{{Cite web |title=TSL Chiang Mai- Thai as a Second Language School |url=https://tslchiangmai.com/ |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=tslchiangmai.com |language=en}}</ref> * asg: Swedish abbreviation of the term {{lang|sv|asgarv}}, meaning intense laughter.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Asgarv {{!}} SAOL {{!}} svenska.se |url=https://svenska.se/saol/?sok=Asgarv&pz=4 |access-date=2024-08-05 |language=sv-SE}}</ref> * g: Danish abbreviation of the word ''griner'', which means "laughing" in Danish.<ref name=Elkan2009/> * jajajá: in Spanish, the letter "j" is pronounced /x/.<ref name="jaja">{{cite web |title=¡ja, ja, ja! |url=http://www.spanishdict.com/translate/%C2%A1ja,%20ja,%20ja! |access-date=April 9, 2011 |publisher=SpanishDict}}</ref> * jejeje: in the Philippines is used to represent "hehehe". "j" in Filipino languages is pronounced as /h/, derived from the Spanish /x/. Its origins can be traced to SMS language. It is widely used in a Filipino youth subculture known as Jejemons.<ref name="PDI">{{cite news|date=April 24, 2010 |first=Harvey |last=Marcoleta |title=Jejemons: The new 'jologs' |newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer |url=http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/2bu/2bu/view/20100424-266068/gtJejemons-The-new-jologs |access-date=April 30, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100427084817/http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/2bu/2bu/view/20100424-266068/gtJejemons-The-new-jologs |archive-date=April 27, 2010 }}</ref><ref name="CNET">{{cite web |date=April 26, 2010 |title=Jejemon in the Philippines |first=Joseph |last=Nacino |url=http://asia.cnet.com/blogs/the-virtual-eye/post.htm?id=63018444&scid=hm_bl |work=CNET Asia |access-date=April 30, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120828171747/http://asia.cnet.com/blogs/jejemon-in-the-philippines-62116449.htm |archive-date=August 28, 2012 }}</ref> * mdr: Esperanto version, from the initials of {{lang|eo|multe da ridoj}}, which translates to "lot of laughs" in English. * mdr: French version, from the initials of "mort de rire" which roughly translated means "died of laughter", although many French people also use LOL instead as it is the most widely used on the internet.<ref name="mort">{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/Mort+de+Rire|title=MDR |dictionary=The Free Dictionary|access-date=April 9, 2011}}</ref><ref name="mort2">{{cite web|url=http://en.bab.la/dictionary/french-english/mdr-mort-de-rire|title=French-English translation for "mdr (mort de rire)"|publisher=babLa|access-date=April 9, 2011}}</ref> * mkm: in Afghanistan "mkm" (being an abbreviation of the phrase "ma khanda mikonom"). This is a Dari phrase that means "I am laughing". * ptdr: French variant from {{lang|fr|pété de rire}}{{snd}}literally meaning "broken with laughter" * rs: in Brazil "rs" (being an abbreviation of "risos", the plural of "laugh") is often used in text based communications in situations where in English LOL would be used, repeating it ("rsrsrsrsrs") is often done to express longer laughter or laughing harder. Also popular is "kkk" (which can also be repeated indefinitely), due to the pronunciation of the letter ''k'' in Brazilian Portuguese sounding similar to the ''ca'' in ''card'', and therefore representing the laugh "cacacacaca" (also similar to the Hebrew version below).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.semantica-portuguese.com/learning-to-laugh-and-smile-online-1006/ |title=Learning to laugh and smile online... Brazilian Portuguese, by Semantica |date=June 9, 2010 |website=Brazilian Portuguese, by Semantica |language=en-US |access-date=January 28, 2018}}</ref> * חחח/ההה: Hebrew version of LOL. The letter ח is pronounced [/x/ /x/] and ה is pronounced [/h/ /h/]. Putting them together (usually three or more in a row) makes the word khakhakha or hahaha (since vowels in Hebrew are generally not written), which is in many languages regarded as the sound of laughter. * {{lang|ko|ㅋㅋㅋ}} ("kkk" or "kekeke")<ref name="Polygon"/> and {{lang|ko|ㅎㅎㅎ}} ("hhh") are usually used to indicate laughter in Korean. 'ㅋ', is a Korean Jamo consonant representing a "k" sound, and '{{lang|ko|ㅎ}}' represents an "h" sound. Both "{{lang|ko|ㅋㅋㅋ}}" and "{{lang|ko|ㅎㅎㅎ}}" represent laughter which is not very loud. However, if a vowel symbol is written, louder laughter is implied: {{lang|ko|하하}} "haha" {{lang|ko|호호}}, "hoho."<ref name="korea">{{cite web|url=http://www.westudykorean.com/slang3.php|title=Slang 속어|publisher=We Study Korean|access-date=April 9, 2011}}</ref> * wkwkwk: in Indonesian is used in the same way as lol. Early-2000s online-game and chat culture popularized it because alternating W and K is quick to type; some guides explicitly trace it to gaming chats and Indonesian SMS/keyboard habits with "w" representing the slang for ''gue'', which means "me" and "K" meaning ''ketawa'', which means "laugh". It is also a onomatopoeia.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hanami |first1=Yuliana |last2=Hanafitri |first2=Aulia |last3=Fathoni |first3=Muhammad |last4=Hasna |first4=Adzra Fathiya |date=2022-12-06 |title=Studi Awal "Wkwk": Ekspresi Tulisan Tawa Daring Masyarakat Indonesia |url=https://ejournal.undip.ac.id/index.php/humanika/article/download/47390/22675 |journal=Humanika |language=id |volume=29 |issue=2 |pages=161–173 |doi=10.14710/humanika.v29i2.47390 |access-date=2025-10-08|doi-access=free }}</ref> * ({{lang|ja|笑}}): in Japanese, the kanji for laugh, is used in the same way as lol. It can be read as {{lang|ja|kakko warai}} (literally "parentheses laugh") or just {{transliteration|ja|wara}}. w is also used as an abbreviation, and it is common for multiple ''w'' to be chained together.<ref name="tokyo">{{cite web|url=http://www.tokyo-insider.net/?p=4756|title=LOL=wwwwww|publisher=Tokyo-Insider|access-date=April 9, 2011}}</ref> The resulting shape formed from multiple ''wwwww'' leads to the usage of {{lang|ja|草}} (草 meaning 'grass', read as {{transliteration|ja|kusa}}) due to its resemblance to the shape of grass.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cheng |first=Alan |date=2021-02-04 |title=10 Useful Japanese Internet Slang Terms You Should Know |url=https://unseen-japan.com/10-useful-japanese-internet-slang-terms-you-should-know/ |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=Unseen Japan |language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also== {{Portal|Internet}} * Face with Tears of Joy emoji (😂) * Internet meme * Leet

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}}

==Further reading== * {{cite book|author=Connery, Brian A.|date=February 25, 1997|chapter=IMHO: Authority and egalitarian rhetoric in the virtual coffeehouse|editor=Porter, D.|title=Internet Culture|pages=161–179|location=New York|publisher=Routledge|isbn=0-415-91684-4}} * {{cite newsgroup | title = smilies collection | author = Russ Armadillo Coffman | date = January 17, 1990 | newsgroup = rec.humor | url = http://groups.google.com/group/rec.humor/browse_thread/thread/7a3256660d71ea68/ | access-date = December 22, 2006}}—an early Usenet posting of a folk dictionary of abbreviations and emoticons, listing ''LOL'' and ROTFL * {{Cite thesis | title=Credibility and Authority on Internet Message Boards | publisher=Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College | date=August 2004 | url=https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/3190/ | author=Ryan Goudelocke |degree=M.M.C. |doi=10.31390/gradschool_theses.3190| doi-access=free }}  * [https://web.archive.org/web/20030222081950/http://pages.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/~crwth/LOL.html Claim to first use.]

==External links== {{Wiktionary|LOL|lol}} {{Commons category|LOL}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lol}} Category:1990s slang Category:2000s slang Category:2010s slang Category:Acronyms Category:Internet memes introduced in the 1980s Category:Internet slang Category:Texting codes Category:Laughter