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平成26年 (2014年) 9月 16日
Japanese Onomatopoeia and Mimetic Words
The Japanese language contains many onomatopoeia and mimetic words, known as 擬音語 giongo and 擬態語 gitaigo respectively. Some words act as both onomatopoeia and mimetic words, depending on the context. Try incorporating some of these into your daily conversations and look out for them in the conversations of those around you.
ざあざあ zaa zaa・・・ame ga zaa zaa futteiru
pouring rain・・・pouring cats and dogs
きらきら kira kira・・・kira kira shita me
sparkle, twinkle・・・sparkling eyes
どきどき doki doki・・・doki doki shiteiru
nervous, fluttering・・・I have butterflies in my stomach
のんびり nombiri・・・nombiri shiteiru
relaxed, slow・・・taking it easy
ぼうっと boutto・・・boutto miru
dimly, vacantly・・・gaze vacantly
ぽろぽろ poro poro・・・ootsubu no namida ga poro poro ochiteita
tears or rice dropping・・・(I) was shedding big drops of tears
ぺこぺこ peko peko・・・onaka ga peko peko da
very hungry・・・I’m starving!
にやにや niya niya・・・niya niya waratteiru
smirk, grin・・・(s/he) is smirking
ずきずき zuki zuki・・・atama ga zuki zuki suru
throb, painful・・・My head is throbbing (with pain)
トントン ton ton・・・doa o ton ton tataku
knock, tap・・・knock on the door
でこぼこ(凸凹) deko beko・・・deko boko darake no douro
rough, bumpy, uneven・・・road full of bumps
ぐちゃぐちゃ gucha gucha・・・atama ga gucha gucha ni natta
messy, sloppy・・・I can’t get my thoughts straight
びしょびしょ bisho bisho・・・bisho bisho ni natta
soaking wet・・・(I) got drenched
ぴかぴか pika pika・・・pika pika no shinsha
shine, sparkle・・・mint condition car
わくわく waku waku・・・waku waku shiteiru
excite, thrill・・・(I’m) excited
ぐっすり gussuri・・・gussuri neru
deep, sound sleep・・・sleep like a log
じっと jitto・・・kare o jitto mitsumeru
fixedly, still・・・stare fixedly at him
ころころ koro koro・・・kaidan de koro koro korobu
rolling・・・go tumbling down the stairs
ごくごく goku goku・・・goku goku nomu
gulping liquid・・・gulp down
にこにこ niko niko・・・itsumo niko niko shiteiru
beaming smile・・・always has a nice smile
いらいら ira ira・・・watashi wa yoku ira ira suru
irritated, annoyed・・・I often get in an irritable mood
ひらひら hira hira・・・chou-chou ga hira hira to tobi-mawatteita
flap, flutter・・・butterflies were flitting around
つるつる tsuru tsuru・・・tsuru tsuru shita douro
slick, slippery・・・slick, smooth road
ばらばら bara bara・・・okyaku wa minna bara bara ni kaetta
scattered, break apart・・・The guests went home separately
Helpful site with example sentences and manga to learn more onomatopoeia!