Kevin
September 5, 2021
Common Questions

Do you know what the term KEKW means? This guide will provide you with all of the info you need on the term KEKW, including its definition, etymology, example sentences, and more!

What does the term KEKW mean?

According to eSports, the term KEKW means laughter and hilarity. This is a Twitch emote that quickly become viral and added to the internet’s catalog of memes. This term comes from the term KEK, which is the Korean equivalent of the European or North American LOL – kekeke would be used in Korea instead of lolol. This is also now World of Warcraft transcribes LOL between opposing factions. For example, if an Alliance player writes LOL in the chat, Horde player types will see KEK, and in the opposite way LOL transcribes to Bur. Then, the letter W is added to KEK, which is a frequently used suffix on Twitch and in Twitch emotes to convey an exaggerated facial expression. Some variations include KEKWhat and KEKWow.

This emote is frequently used by streamers in the Twitch community and on other social media platforms like in a YouTube Video. This emote was added with the picture of Spanish comedian Juan Joya Borja’s face in August/late summer 2019. This usage has become common on the streaming platform and is a popular Twitch chat phrase among meme streamers. An emote is like an emoji but specifically used on Twitch. There is a template for these, and there are able to surpass the language barrier like emojis. There are loads of emotes to learn!

What is the origin of KEKW?

According to AFK Gaming, KEKW has a storied history like Kappa, ResidentSleeper, and the controversial PogChamp. This term became popular due to a famous Spanish video of a man laughing. This man is a comedian named Juan Joya Borja. This famous “Spanish Laughing Man” video went viral, and meme creators began to use it for their custom templates. This then became a FrankerFaceZ emote used to represent laughter based on the El Risitas clip. This was one of the most popular emotes of 2020.

What are other slang terms on Twitch?

There are many different emotes and slang terms a person can use on Twitch. These may feel very hard to learn if you are not familiar with the Twitch community, but with this list from Stream Scheme you can learn them in no time!

SourPLS
PepeLaugh
PJSalt
MingLee
Wutface
CoolStoryBob
Bloodtrail
BabyRage
gachiBASS
GayPride
Pepehands
MorphinTime
COGGERS
WeirdChamp
MonkaW
FeelsBadMan
FeelsGoodMan
LUL
NotLikeThis
5Head
DansGame
FailFish
YEP
MonkaS
PogChamp
Kreygasm
3Head
Poggers
Pog
SingsMic
SquadW
Kappa
haHaa
MonkaH
monkaOMEGA
HeyGuys
CmonBruh
TriHard
SabaPing
BlessRNG
MonkaHmm
AYAYA
ForsenCD
SwiftRage
ResidentSleeper
widepeepoHappy
SMOrc
FeelsBirthdayMan
KKomrade
<3
Kkona
duDudu
TheIlluminati
PRChase
BibleThump
4Head
TheThing
MrDestructoid
DoritosChip
KEKW
VoHiYo
Keepo
Jebaited
MonkaGIGA
4Weird
gachiGASM
Seemsgood
PogU
CurseLit
BrokeBack
SSSsss

What are synonyms of KEKW?

There are many different words that have the same meaning as KEKW. These are called synonyms. If someone is not familiar with the Twitch online streaming community, it is likely that they will not be familiar with the term KEKW. In this case, you should use a synonym to make sure that your meaning is coming off correctly. Additionally, someone might choose to use synonyms in order to expand upon their vocabulary or in order to avoid repeating themselves. This list of potential synonyms for the word KEKW is from Power Thesaurus.

joke
chortling
haha
cachinnate
jests
satirize
prank
have a laugh
jeer
burst out laughing
smiled
be killing oneself
blast
prankster
snicker
chuckling
ridicule
ha-ha
break up
heehaw
chortle
roar with laughter
deride
jest
riot
laugh
die laughing
scream
giggling
twitter
tee-hee
have a good laugh
smiling
beam
be creased up
fall about
practical joke
roar
grins
horselaugh
lark
boff
titter
guffaw
giggle
ha
amuse
crack
roaring
cackle
laughter
comedian
mock
crack up
card
character
jape
jester
smile
simper
lampoon
snigger
caper
poke fun at
roar of laughter
howl with laughter
grin
joker
belly laugh
tease
smirk
escapade
express joy
gag
be doubled up
hoot of laughter
sneer
be rolling in the aisles
taunt
hoot with laughter
comic
yuk
dissolve into laughter
buffoon
make fun
chuckle
fool
hoot
sniggering
split one’s sides
boffola
be in stitches
make fun of
kidding
be on the floor
cachinnation
clown
humorous
howl
barrel of laughs
scorn

There are also many different words that mean the opposite of KEKW. These are known as antonyms. Antonyms are useful to know if you want to expand your vocabulary and broaden your knowledge of the English language. This list of antonyms for KEKW is also provided by Power Thesaurus.

be wretched
caterwaul
insincere laughter
false laughter
bleat
be wounded
deplore
sob
weeping
be racked
break down and cry
howling
feel pain
blub
mourn
bawl
feel sore about
burst into tears
groan inwardly
fake laugh
pout
cry down
whimpering
smart
cynical laugh
flood of tears
hurt
hollow laugh
be convulsed
whimper
bummer
bay
being in pain
lament
boohoo
fake laughter
be cut up
fit of crying
sigh
be miserable
wailing
blate
anguish
calm
hollow laughter
sorrow
moan
endure agony
sniffle
baying
writhe
agonize
all whiny
bark
cry your eyes out
scowl
groan
labor under
suffer
keen
squall
snivelling
frown
ache
make a face
grieve
thank you so much
mewl
bawls
pule
be in distress
sobbing
hypocritical laugh
cry
bawling
bewailed
play the woman
bemoan
snivel
all weepy
being such a wuss
howl
cry-baby
experience hardship
blubbing
shed tears
be upset
weep
be in pain
yowl
snarl
crying fit
be at disadvantage
cantillate
blubber
buzz
whine
wail
being sorry
hug

Overall, KEKW means laughter on Twitch. This is considered an emote, which features an image of Spanish actor Juan Joya Borja, interviewed by host Jesus Quintero on the Spanish-language television program Ratones Coloraos. The W suffix is added like other Twitch emotes like LULW.

Sources:

Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.