Translation guide
To smile broadly means to smile with a wide, open, and often joyful expression. In Japanese, this is commonly expressed with verbs like にっこり笑う or 満面の笑みを浮かべる, or with onomatopoeic adverbs like にこにこ or にっこり.
Express a wide, happy smile, often in a friendly or cheerful context.
A very common and natural way to say 'smile broadly'. にっこり is an onomatopoeic adverb for a brief, bright smile.
彼女はにっこり笑って挨拶した。
She smiled broadly and greeted me.
Literally 'to wear a full-face smile'. This is a slightly more literary or descriptive expression for a beaming smile.
彼は満面の笑みを浮かべて賞を受け取った。
He smiled broadly as he received the award.
にこにこ implies a continuous, gentle, broad smile, often used for a cheerful, sustained expression.
赤ちゃんがにこにこ笑っている。
The baby is smiling broadly.
A four-character compound meaning 'breaking into a broad smile'. It is literary and somewhat formal, often used in writing.
その冗談に彼は破顔一笑した。
He broke into a broad smile at the joke.
Emphasize a wide smile that shows teeth, sometimes with a nuance of a grin or a big, open smile.
Literally 'to smile showing teeth'. This is a straightforward way to describe a broad, toothy smile.
彼は歯を見せて笑った。
He smiled broadly, showing his teeth.
にやり is an onomatopoeia for a sly or meaningful grin, often a broad, knowing smile. It can carry a slightly mischievous nuance.
彼はにやりと笑って秘密を明かした。
He grinned broadly and revealed the secret.
Literally 'to laugh with a wide-open mouth'. This emphasizes a very broad, open-mouthed smile or laugh, sometimes used for hearty laughter.
子供たちは大口を開けて笑っていた。
The children were smiling broadly with their mouths wide open.
にっこり describes a single, bright, often momentary smile, while にこにこ describes a continuous, gentle smiling state. Use にっこり for a quick, broad smile and にこにこ for someone who is smiling happily over a period of time.
彼女はにっこり笑ってうなずいた。
She smiled broadly and nodded.
彼は一日中にこにこしていた。
He was smiling broadly all day.