Hello, today’s topic is Japanese onomatopoeia.

The Japanese language has a variety of onomatopoeias.

An onomatopoeia is a word that mimics the sound of a condition or emotion. For example, “meow-meow” is an onomatopoeia to express a cat crying.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to list all Japanese onomatopoeias here. So, let me introduce some of the “repeat twice” type of onomatopoeia for illustration. 

Please try to use them in your daily conversation!

Emotions

わくわく(waku-waku): Excited about something and looking forward to it.

どきどき(doki-doki): Heart is beating baster due to excitement, anxiety, falling in love, etc.)

いらいら(ira-ira): Irritated.

Examples

　　・もうすぐクリスマスだ！わくわくするなあ。

　　　Mōsugu kurisumasu da! Wakuwaku surunā

            (Christmas is coming soon! I am so excited!)

　　・彼女の美しい目は私をどきどきさせる。

            Kanojo no utsukushī me wa watashi wo dokidoki saseru.

             (Her beautiful eyes make my heart beat faster.)

　　・パソコンの動きが遅くてイライラする。

             Pasokon no ugoki ga osokute iraira suru.

              (This laptop works slowly, and that irritates me.)

Conditions

きらきら(kira-kira): Something is shining.

ぐるぐる(gru-guru): Something is turning round and round.

     　  Examples

　　  ・あなたの指輪はきらきら光ってきれいですね。

             Anata no yubiwa wa kirakira hikatte kireidesune.

             (Your ring is shining bright and beautiful.)

　　   ・メリーゴーランドがぐるぐる回っている。

              Merīgōrando ga guruguru mawatteiru.

              (A merry-go-round is turning round and round)

★Quick Quiz★

What kind of emotions/conditions do these two onomatopoeias represent? Can you guess?

(The answers are at the bottom of this article.)

ねばねば(neba-neba)　　　　　　　ふわふわ(fuwa-fuwa)

If you want to learn more about Japanese onomatopoeia, you should check Japanese manga (comics). They are a treasure chest of onomatopoeias!

＊＊Answer for Quiz here    ⇒

Naba-neba: Sticky (Japanese food natto is a representative of neba-neba foods.)

Fuwa-fuwa: fluffy to illustrate cloud, fur, cotton candy and other fluffy things.