草生える

• Reading: くさはえる
• Romaji: kusa haeru
• Kanji breakdown: 草 (grass) + 生 (grow) + える (verb suffix) → grass grows → LOL (because 'www' looks like grass)
• Pronunciation: /kɯ.sa ha.e.ɾɯ/

Meaning

LOL, that's hilarious — internet slang where 草 (grass) represents laughter because 'www' resembles growing grass.

草生える traces back to abbreviating 笑 (warau/laugh) as 'w' in online gaming and bulletin boards. Multiple w's ('www' or 'wwwww') came to look like grass growing, so 草 (kusa, grass) became a stand-in for laughter. 草生える literally means 'grass is growing' but carries the meaning of 'that's hilarious.' Originated on Nico Nico Douga and 2ch, becoming mainstream internet slang by the mid-2010s. The standalone 草 is now one of the most common online laugh reactions.

Examples

1. あのミーム見た？草生えるんだけど。 Did you see that meme? I'm dying laughing.
2. 自分の昔のツイート読み返して草生える。 Reading back my old tweets and I'm cracking up.
3. 先生がTikTokの流行語使ってて草生えた。 The teacher used a TikTok slang word and I lost it.

Usage Guide

Context: internet, gaming, social media

Tone: amused, internet-native

Do Say

• この実況動画草生える。 (This gameplay commentary is hilarious.)
• 草生えすぎて森になった。 (So much grass growing it became a forest — meaning 'I'm dying of laughter.')

Don't Say

• 年配の人に「草」と言っても通じない (Saying 'kusa' to older people won't be understood — it is internet-generation slang)

Common Mistakes

• Not understanding that 草 alone also means LOL — you do not always need the full 草生える
• Using 草生える in formal writing or business contexts — it is strictly internet slang

Origin & History

From 'w' (abbreviation of 笑/warau) → 'www' looks like grass growing → 草 (kusa). 草生える = 'grass is growing' = LOL. Nico Nico Douga and 2ch origin, mainstream by mid-2010s.

Cultural Context

Era: 2010s mainstream, origins in late 2000s Nico Nico Douga

Generation: Teens to 30s, internet and gaming culture

Social background: Internet culture, gaming communities

Regional notes: Used across Japan online. The evolution from w → www → 草 is a uniquely Japanese internet linguistic phenomenon. 大草原 (daisougen, great plains) = extremely funny.