From the triconsonantal root ض-ح-ك (Ḍ-Ḥ-K), which has carried the core meaning of "laughing" since Classical Arabic. The root appears in the Quran and pre-Islamic poetry, and is shared across many Semitic languages — cognates exist in Aramaic and Hebrew (צחק, ṣāḥaq), reflecting a very ancient Proto-Semitic root associated with joy and levity.

In Arab culture, laughter and a sense of humor (الفُكاهة, al-fukāha) are highly valued in social settings. However, loud or excessive laughter in formal or religious contexts may be considered impolite. The related noun ضَحِكَة (ḍaḥika) means "a laugh" or "a laughingstock," so context matters. Note that ضَحِكَ is Modern Standard Arabic; in spoken Egyptian Arabic you'll often hear بِيِضْحَك (biyiḍḥak), and in Levantine Arabic يِضْحَك (yiḍḥak).