冗談

• 読み: じょうだん
• ローマ字: joudan
• 漢字の分解: 冗 (jō) — superfluous, redundant; 談 (dan) — talk, discuss
• 発音: /dʑo.ɯ.da.n/

意味

Joke; jest; funny story. Something said to make people laugh, not to be taken seriously.

Primarily a noun. Common patterns include 冗談を言う (to tell a joke), 冗談でしょう (you must be joking), and 冗談じゃない (this is no joke / you cannot be serious). An important social lubricant in Japanese conversation, though the style of humour differs significantly from Western jokes.

例文

1. 田中さんはいつも面白い冗談を言う。
2. 値段を聞いて冗談だと思った。
3. 冗談はやめてください。本当のことを教えて。

使い方ガイド

場面: daily life, social situations, entertainment

トーン: humorous

起源と歴史

Compound of 冗 (jō, superfluous/redundant) and 談 (dan, talk). Literally means superfluous talk — words that go beyond what is necessary, i.e., playful or humorous remarks.

文化的背景

時代: Edo period

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal