How do you say "applause" in Japanese?

拍手

hakushu

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "applause" is 拍手 (hakushu).

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Pronunciation

Hakushu is brisk and even, ha-ku-shu, with a short crisp ku in the middle rather than a drawn-out vowel.

Writing and usage

拍手 is written using kanji. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

拍手が劇場を満たした。

hakushu ga gekijou wo mita shita.

The applause filled the theatre.

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How to remember 拍手

Hakushu contains 'shu', like the sound of hands sliding together fast, shu shu shu, in a wave of applause.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 拍手

How do you pronounce 拍手?

Hakushu is brisk and even, ha-ku-shu, with a short crisp ku in the middle rather than a drawn-out vowel.

Is 拍手 formal or casual?

拍手 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 拍手 written in Japanese?

拍手 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as hakushu.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Applause" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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