Kusa-hayasu (草を生やす) literally translates to ‘growing grass.’ In the digital age, it is the quintessential Japanese slang for expressing laughter. By typing ‘w’ (short for warau, ‘to laugh’), users create a string of characters that resembles grass on a field, effectively signaling that something is hilarious.
If you’ve spent any time on Twitter, LINE, or Nico Nico Douga, you’ve definitely seen it. A message or comment flooded with ‘wwwwwww’ looks like a patch of green grass growing on the screen. But why ‘grass’? And how do you use it without looking like an outsider?
As an editor who has watched Japanese internet culture evolve, I remember when people just used ‘(笑)’. That felt a bit stiff, like a formal note. When the 2channel (now 5channel) era exploded, the ‘w’ became the standard. If you typed enough of them, it looked like weeds. Someone coined the phrase ‘kusa-hayasu,’ and the rest is history. It’s a perfect example of how Japanese netizens turn simple characters into a visual aesthetic.
Friend A: “Did you see the latest Enjou on the talent’s page?”
Friend B: “Yeah, the comments are literally just ‘kusa’ everywhere. It’s chaos!”
The Nuance of ‘Growing Grass’
The beauty of ‘kusa’ lies in its versatility. It’s not just a ‘lol.’ Depending on the length, it communicates intensity. A single ‘w’ can feel sarcastic or dismissive, while ‘wwwwww’ shows genuine amusement. If you want to show you are crying from laughter, you might even see ‘Daigusa’ (大草原 – ‘Great Grassland’), implying the amount of laughter is so high it spans an entire field.
Common Mistakes Foreigners Make
The most frequent error I see from language learners is using ‘kusa’ in formal or even semi-polite settings. Remember: this is internet slang. Do not use ‘w’ or ‘kusa’ in an email to your boss or a teacher. It is incredibly unprofessional and could even be interpreted as mocking if the context isn’t right. Stick to formal Japanese greetings, or if you’re feeling a bit casual, perhaps a ‘haha’ or a simple ‘desu ne’ in your messages until you are close enough with the person to joke around.
Pro-tip: When in doubt, stick to ‘笑’ or ‘www’. Don’t use the Kanji ‘草’ (kusa) until you’ve seen the other person use it first. It acts as a litmus test for how ‘online’ your conversation partner actually is.
Variations and Evolutions
Language never stands still in Japan. While ‘kusa’ is standard, you might also run into:
- Kusa: Just one word. It implies ‘that’s funny’ or ‘LOL.’
- Kusayeru: A verbal conjugation that sounds like modern slang, though ‘kusa-hayasu’ remains the standard term for the act.
- WWWWW: The classic, timeless approach to showing off your keyboard skills.
If you’re interested in more nuances of how Japanese people express themselves in modern settings, check out my breakdown on Kimoi-kun to see how slang continues to paint the vibrant, sometimes strange, landscape of Japanese interpersonal communication.
