擬声語. Mimetic words representing sounds.
Words that represent or describe sounds by imitating them.
A type of ideophone or sound symbolism, which uses sound to evoke any concept.
Questions tagged [onomatopoeia]
140 questions
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Is こんこん onomatopoeia for foxes?
I mentioned こんこん to a native speaker, and he hadn't heard it before.
Is こんこん the standard onomatopoeia for foxes? If not, what does the fox say?
Andrew Grimm
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Is 写真 an onomatopoeia?
Is 写真, the word for photograph, in any way a form of onomatopoeia? That is to say, is it at all based on the sound of taking a photo?
I'm aware of the meanings of 写 and 真, but when said aloud I always pictured "shashin" as perhaps an imitation of an…
Zach Schroeder
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How to write down sound of laugh in speech
I'm listening to some dialogues in Japanese and I write them down.
I need to write down sound of laughter in sentence (speech) like in English for example
Ha ha
What I need should have notion of laughing at someone. Is it just simple
「ハハ」
viktor
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14
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How are the giongo/gitaigo double form and tto form related (きらきら vs. きらっと)
With many 擬音語 (ぎおんご, onomatopoeia) and 擬態語 (ぎたいご, mimetic words) there is a double form, where the word is repeated, and a form with っと at the end. For example:
きらきら -> きらっと (sparkling)
ぴかぴか -> ぴかっと (twinkling)
ぺろぺろ -> ぺろっと (slavering?)
ちらちら…
nevan king
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When is と added to onomatopoeia?
While at first I believed it was simply bound to each individual word, I've noticed that the same onomatopoeic word sometimes has と after it and sometimes it doesn't.
Here's a case I stumbled upon:
踊り手は つま先立ってぐるぐると回った
犬が自分のしっぽを追いかけてぐるぐる回っている
What…
Daniel Safari
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10
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What is the Japanese Onomatopoeia for the sound a chainsaw makes?
From what I can tell, chainsaws make a sound like buzzing or rustling, etc. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find Japanese onomatopoeia from that sound. I wanted to look specifically for the chainsaw sound effect depicted in the manga, Chainsaw…
Humphrey The Pumpkin
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10
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Do native speakers ever create/improvise onomatopoeia?
Since Japanese is incredibly rich in onomatopoeic expressions which are commonly understood by most adults, I am wondering if adults ever make up new onomatopoeia on the fly, or if they always use those which they have "learned" and which are…
Earthliŋ
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The difference between へとへと and くたくた
I am studying Japanese オノマトペ and I came across two that are very similar. The definitions I found online, and the examples sentences in the book don't align, so I am confused about the 使い方。
On this website, they say that へとへと describes a more…
chargerstriker
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The difference between する and している with onomatopoeias
For example, what would the difference between 膝{ひざ}がガクガクする or 膝{ひざ}がガクガクしている be?
I believe the correct definition in Daijirin is 「恐怖{きょうふ}・疲労{ひろう}・緊張{きんちょう}などのために体{からだ}の一部{いちぶ}が小刻{こきざ}みに震{ふる}えるさま」, but that doesn't help me see how the two…
macko
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9
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Why is it お[腹]{なか}が[空]{す}いた but [腹]{はら}[減]{へ}った?
Is there any particular reason why the noun おなか goes with verb すく while the noun はら goes with the verb へる? Would it be weird if I use おなかへった or はらすいた?
While on the same topic, does the 'starving' onomatopoeia ペコペコ go with both おなか and はら?
Lukman
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Do 擬態語 (いらいら, きらきら, すっきり, etc.) generally have root words?
I understand that 擬音語 (ぎおんご) imitate sounds, like どきどき imitates a heartbeat. So, if these onomatopoeia don't have roots I wouldn't be at all surprised.
But where do 擬態語 (ぎたいご) come from? Do いらいら (to be irritated), きらきら (to glitter), すっきり (to be…
Louis Waweru
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Questions on the word シクシク
I understand that the word シクシク is 擬声語/giseigo/onomatopoeia equivalent to the English "boo-hoo/boo-hoo-hoo."
恐怖でシクシク泣く
: To whimper in fear
彼女はボーイフレンドに捨てられた時、あまりの惨めさにシクシクと泣いた。
: She wailed in misery when her boyfriend dumped her.
However, I also…
yadokari
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Pitch accent variations within giongo words like ふわふわ
According to the NHK Accent dictionary, the pitch accent for ふわふわ can be:
(a) ふわふわ {HLLL} or (b) ふわふわ {LHHH}
It is (a) when する is attached and it is (b) when used as a simple adjective.
First, are the following examples correct? …
kandyman
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Is the scream "gya" masculine and "kya" feminine?
I don't speak Japanese, but I notice in some manga (like Mr. Fullswing for example), male characters tend to scream "gya" or "guwa" while female characters tend to scream "kya".
Is it true that "gya" sounds masculine and "kya" sounds feminine? If it…
Vun-Hugh Vaw
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What does the word 「のたのたして」mean?
Here is the context including the word. I put the blank spaces according to the column line breaks.
なんでえ 大の男が まっぴるまから 酒くらって のたのたしてよう
For this word, I have no clue to guess at all what it should really mean.
George
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