chuckling
くすくす笑う
解説 Definition
chuckling は chuckle（くすくす笑う）の現在分詞・動名詞です。大声で笑うのではなく、楽しさや照れを感じて小さく笑う様子を表します。
Chuckling is the present participle or gerund of chuckle. It means laughing quietly and gently, usually in short, partly suppressed sounds that express amusement, affection, or mild embarrassment rather than loud excitement.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
chuckling は chuckle の現在分詞・動名詞で、語末の e を落として -ing を付け、chuckle → chuckling となります。laughing より声が小さく、面白さや照れから低くくすくす笑う感じです。chuckle at a joke や keep chuckling の場面で覚えましょう。
Connect chuckling with the base verb chuckle. To form the -ing form, drop the final silent e: chuckle becomes chuckling. Picture someone trying to remain serious but letting out a series of small, warm laughs. This is quieter and more restrained than laughing loudly, and it often suggests gentle amusement rather than ridicule. Useful patterns include “chuckling at a joke,” “chuckling to himself,” and “keep chuckling.” The short, repeated sounds associated with chuckle help distinguish it from a single smile, which may make no sound at all.
例文
She was chuckling at the gentle joke.
彼女はその穏やかな冗談にくすくす笑っていました。
The children sat together, chuckling over the funny drawing.
子どもたちは一緒に座り、おかしな絵を見てくすくす笑っていました。
He tried to stay serious, but he kept chuckling during the story.
彼は真面目な顔をしようとしましたが、話の間ずっとくすくす笑っていました。
chuckling の類義語・関連語
対義語
紛らわしい語
chuckling の語源・成り立ち Etymology
古英語由来の擬態語chuck（鶏の短い鳴き声）に反復を表す接尾辞leが付き、小さく連続する笑いを表します。17世紀英語で定型化した音象徴語であり、同じle結語のcrackle（ぱちぱち鳴る）同様、音の響きそのものから意味が直感的に連想できる構造です。
Chuckling is the -ing form of chuckle. Chuckle developed in English as an imitative or sound-symbolic word, associated with short, repeated noises and possibly influenced by chuck, a representation of a hen’s call. By the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century, it was used for quiet laughter. The frequentative-looking ending -le also appears in English sound words describing repeated small actions or noises. In forming chuckling, the final silent e of chuckle is dropped before -ing.
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