Unintentional comedy is actually relatively easy to pull off. All you have to do is trip and fall.

Intentionally getting a laugh, on the other hand, takes practice. Especially in a second language. What¡¯s funny in Japan may be different from what¡¯s funny in other countries, but one common thread is that humor can be found in the way you wield the language ¡ª any language ¡ª not just ¥É¥¿¥Ð¥¿Ï²„¡ (dotabata kigeki, slapstick).

Knowing the funny words, so to speak, can give students of Japanese a leg up and, fortunately for us, in 2019 the online comedy site ¥ª¥â¥³¥í (Omocoro) conducted on the internet to determine the funniest Japanese words. What it found suggests that there are certain patterns that make some words funnier than others in Japanese.