ＡＣＣＥＳＳ　　June-July 2007

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!

http://jweb.kokken.go.jp/gitaigo/category.html