The world of onomatopoeia in Japanese is one of the more amusing aspects of this wonderful language!
So what is onomatopoeia?
Simply put, onomatopoeia are words which read or sound like the word they are describing. In English, think of words like bang, buzz or hiss.
You will see that onomatopoeia is a fun way to express sounds, feelings and situations without all the faff!
That being said, Japanese onomatopoeia is like the gift that just keeps on giving. There is an imitative counterpart for pretty much anything and everything.
Most phrases are super useful and easy to get the hang of as they really do mimic what they wish to express.
For example, the onomatopoeia for ‘munching’ is paku paku (ぱくぱく), the sound of which really seems to paint a picture of deliciously munching down your favourite snack.
Others will leave you wondering how exactly such expressions came to be…
An example of this may be kun kun (くんくん). Would you be able to guess what this onomatopoeia represents?
It is supposed to be ‘sniffing’ of an animal. Though, quite honestly I would have never guessed so!
Onomatopoeia is especially useful in one of the most popular types of Japanese media: manga!
As manga are simply illustrations, there is no auditory assistance to immerse the reading in the storyline at play. This is why illustrators include onomatopoeia, to act as sound effects, whether it be the crashes of a fight scene or the heart beating of a romance scene.
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Types of Japanese onomatopoeia
There are thousands upon thousands of onomatopoeia, and different categories which they may fall into.
In this post we will talk about the two groups: giseigo (擬声語 / ぎせいご) and gitaigo (擬態語 / ぎたいご).
Some onomatopoeia are written in hiragana script while others are usually written in katakana. Just to keep it simple, all of the onomatopoeia in this post will be written in hiragana.
Giseigo
Giseigo is an umbrella term for the imitative sounds of both animate and inanimate objects. This may be animals, humans or nature sounds.
These onomatopoeic phrases are known as phonomimes, meaning that the word imitates the actual sound itself.
Animal sounds
| English | Hiragana | Romaji |
| Meow (cat) | にゃー | nya |
| Woof (dog) | わんわん | wan wan |
| Ribbit ribbit (frog) | けろけろ | kero kero |
| Oo oo aa aa (monkey) | うきうき | uki uki |
| Moo (cow) | もーもー | moo moo |
| Neigh (horse) | ひひーん | hihiin |
| Baa (sheep) | めー | mee |
| Cockadoodle doo (rooster) | こけこっこー | kokekokkoo |
| Oink oink (pig) | ぶーぶー | buu buu |
| Buzzing of cicadas | みんみん | min min |
Human sounds
| English | Hiragana | Romaji |
| Tee hee (chuckling) | うふふ | ufufu |
| Giggling (stifled laughter) | くすくす | kusu kusu |
| Loud laughter | あはは | a ha ha |
| Weeping | しくしく | shiku shiku |
| Munching | ぱくぱく | paku paku |
| Licking | ぺろぺろ | pero pero |
| Whispering | ひそひそ | hiso hiso |
| Grumbling | ぶつぶつ | butsu butsu |
| Teeth chattering | がちがち | gachi gachi |
| Gulping/guzzling | がぶがぶ | gabu gabu |
Nature sounds
| English | Hiragana | Romaji |
| Rumbling of thunder | ごろごろ | goro goro |
| Light rain | ぽつぽつ | potsu potsu |
| Heavy rain | ざーざー | zaa zaa |
| Whistling wind | ぴゅーぴゅー | pyuu pyuu |
| Going up in flames | めらめら | mera mera |
| Humid air | むしむし | mushi mushi |
| Blaring sun | ぎらぎら | gira gira |
| Gentle wind | そよそよ | soyo soyo |
| Splashing | ばしゃばしゃ | basha basha |
| Rumbling / shaking | がたがた | gata gata |
Gitaigo
The category of gitaigo contains terms known as phenomimes. It differs from giseigo in the fact that phenomimes depict conditions or states of being.
They may not accurately sound like what they represent (since what they represent may not have a sound), but they should give a feeling or sense of what they mean to depict.
Another category of gitaigo are psycomimes, which depict feelings.
Feelings
| English | Hiragana | Romaji |
| Heart pounding | どきどき | doki doki |
| Smiling | にこにこ | niko niko |
| Annoyed / irritated | いらいら | ira ira |
| Uncertain | もやもや | moya moya |
| Exhausted | へとへと | heto heto |
| Hungry | ぺこぺこ | peko peko |
| Excited | わくわく | waku waku |
| To fret | くよくよ | kuyo kuyo |
| Nervous excitement | はらはら | hara hara |
| To get scared | ぞっと | zotto |
Sensations
| English | Hiragana | Romaji |
| Fluffy | ふわふわ | fuwa fuwa |
| Smooth | さらさら | sara sara |
| Squishy | ぷにぷに | puni puni |
| Messy | ごちゃごちゃ | gocha gocha |
| Crispy / crunchy | かりかり | kari kari |
| Sparkly | きらきら | kira kira |
| Snap / crackle / pop | ぱちぱち | pachi pachi |
| Crumpled | くしゃくしゃ | kusha kusha |
| Smooth / slick | つるつる | tsuru tsuru |
| Rough / coarse | ざらざら | zara zara |
Adverbs
| English | Hiragana | Romaji |
| Sleeping soundly | ぐっすり | gussuri |
| Clearly | はっきり | hakkiri |
| Firmly / securely | しっかり | shikkari |
| Completely | すっかり | sukkari |
| Comfortable / relaxed | ゆったり | yuttari |
| Sluggishly | のっそり | nossori |
| Tedious / fed up with | うんざり | unzari |
| Vigorously | ばりばり | bari bari |
| Clamorously | わいわい | wai wai |
| Just barely | ぎりぎり | giri giri |
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed this lesson on Japanese onomatopoeia words! Exploring Japanese onomatopoeia adds fun and depth to your language skills. These lively words help you connect with native speakers and enjoy the language more.
Which was your favourite onomatopoeia? Do you know any more?
For more fun and vibrant Japanese learning, our recommended online course is JapanesePod101. Try it out for free!
JapanesePod101 is our top recommendation to learn Japanese online. We love the fun, current audio lessons and interactive online tools. Sign up for your free lifetime account and see for yourself!
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Hannah is a half Irish/half Japanese girl living in Ireland. Her love for Japan and the Japanese language led her to studying languages and translation in university where she specialised in Japanese. She spent a year studying abroad at Rikkyo University in Tokyo. In her free time, Hannah enjoys using her sewing machine to upcycle clothes and create new pieces!