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I've tried to look up the word はわはわ in a dictionary and online with no success, I haven't a clue as to what it's referring to in this phrase;

はわはわしてんじゃないわよ

Perhaps it's an onomatopoetic or mimetic word? Can anyone help?

jinjin
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  • Isn't it typo? Never heard that expression ever. If it is そわそわ, then makes sense. – Wataru 'Watson' Subridge Mar 08 '17 at 23:05
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    If you are asking about a word you could not find in dictionaries, you should at least think of providing the context it appeared in. –  Mar 09 '17 at 00:57
  • 「あわあわ」に似ていて、まごついてるとか慌ててるとか口ごもってるみたいな感じはしますけど、文脈がないとちょっとね・・・＾＾； – Chocolate Mar 09 '17 at 01:51

2 Answers2

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An easy question for an otaku :)

It's an onomatopoetic word made from はわわ, which is an idiosyncratic word uttered by a panicked/flustered/surprised person (mainly fictional girls). Basically it's something like whoa, wow but sounds more peculiar and maybe cute. A typical はわわ is like this or this. For example, Inazuma from Kan-colle is one of the characters who say はわわ～ whenever she is surprised. You can listen to her hawawa here.

So はわはわしてんじゃないわよ is an otaku-ish and reproaching way to say "Don't lose your cool".

naruto
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  • 自分をオタクと呼ぶなんて、ちょっと恥ずかしいんじゃ？ – Angelos Mar 09 '17 at 02:03
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    @Nothingatall [Many people take pride in being an otaku :)](http://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/25686/5010) – naruto Mar 09 '17 at 02:03
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I've never heard (seen) "はわはわ," but it could be an onomatopoeic word created and used by somebody.
Even we have never heard such an onomatopoeic word like "はわはわ", we can feel the situation might be helpless or unreliable.
We sometimes see such onomatopoeic words in Manga.

Sonny365 TANAKA
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