Compared to the yomihon literature that focused on narrative and was full of kango (originally Chinese words and expressions), kokkeibon books were written in a simple style with many colloquial expressions, and they made ordinary readers laugh using techniques such as simple puns, words and deeds deviating from social norms, and indecent topics.
物語性を重視し漢語がちりばめられた読本に比べ、滑稽本は会話文を主体とした平易な文章で、単純な言葉の引っかけや常識から逸脱した言動、下ネタなどで大衆的な読者の笑いを誘う。