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<\/a>There are in fact three distinct types of onomatopoeia in the Japanese language: \u64ec\u58f0\u8a9e giseigo, \u64ec\u97f3\u8a9e giongo and \u64ec\u614b\u8a9e gitaigo.<\/p><\/div>\n
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It rarely appears in beginner or intermediate textbooks, but spend a day with any native Japanese speaker and you\u2019ll soon realise that onomatopoeia is a vital part of the language. Utterances such as, \u201cThe rain fell like \u2018pssshaaaa\u2019\u201d and, \u201cMy heart was going \u2018boom boom boom\u2019 the whole time!\u201d may come across as a little ineloquent\u00a0when said in English, but in Japanese these kinds of\u00a0mimetic words are not only considered perfectly acceptable, but pop up absolutely everywhere.<\/p>\n
So if you\u2019ve ever wondered what sound a Japanese pig makes, how best to describe a rolling boulder as opposed to a tiny marble, or would be perplexed if a doctor asked whether the pain you\u2019re feeling is more\u00a0shikushiku<\/em>\u00a0than\u00a0kirikiri<\/em>, now\u2019s your chance to hone your language skills and add a few new words to your Japanese vocabulary!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are in fact three distinct types of onomatopoeia in the Japanese language:\u00a0\u64ec\u58f0\u8a9e<\/strong>\u00a0giseigo<\/em>,\u00a0\u64ec\u97f3\u8a9e<\/strong>\u00a0giongo<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>\u64ec\u614b\u8a9e<\/strong>\u00a0gitaigo<\/em>. Let\u2019s take a look at each and try out a few examples, starting with the simplest and most familiar.<\/p>\n The simplest of the lot, these are words that mimic voices and sounds made by living things. Made up of the kanji characters \u64ec\u00a0gi<\/em>\u00a0(mimic) \u58f0\u00a0sei<\/em>\u00a0(voice) and \u8a9e\u00a0go<\/em>(word\/language), the term\u00a0giseigo<\/em>\u00a0literally means \u201cvoice mimicking word\u201d, and are something that we encounter even before we can put whole sentences together, regardless of our native tongue.<\/p>\n In the same way that in English we teach our children that cats go \u201cmeow\u201d and dogs go \u201cwoof\u201d, Japanese too has a full animal phrase book. Tell a native Japanese speaker that in English a pig says \u201coink\u201d, however, and they\u2019ll probably look at you like you\u2019ve just lost your mind, since Japanese\u00a0giseigo<\/em>\u00a0really are much closer to the actual sounds animals make, regardless of whether the speaker does their best farmyard impression. Check these out:<\/p>\n buubuu<\/em>: a pink grunting.<\/p>\n gao<\/em>: a large animal or monster\u2019s roar.<\/p>\n gerogero<\/em>: a frog croaking.<\/p>\n ki~ki~<\/em>:\u00a0monkeys chattering.<\/p>\n kokekokko~<\/em>: \u201ccock-a-doodle-doo\u201d, or the sound made by cockerels and roosters. Japanese are always especially astounded when they hear the English version of this one.<\/p>\n mehmeh<\/em>: a sheep or goat bleating.<\/p>\n mo~mo~<\/em>: a cow lowing (remember, it\u2019s not \u201cmoo\u201d as in \u201cboo\u201d but \u201cmo\u201d as in lawn \u201cmower\u201d, which when you think about it is kind of what cows do).<\/p>\n nyan<\/em>: as if we needed reminding, this is a\u00a0(nyan) cat<\/a>\u00a0meowing.<\/p>\n wanwan<\/em>: a dog barking<\/p>\n Most frequently found in manga,\u00a0giongo<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 written with the kanji for mimic\u00a0\u64ec, sound \u97f3, and word \u8a9e –\u00a0 are used to describe sounds that exist in the world around us. Rather than making their own mimetic words up, however, or being stumped when asked how to spell the word that describes, say, paper being ripped or a car braking hard, most native Japanese speakers will be able to immediately point you to the correct phrase. Here\u2019s a very small sample of what\u2019s on offer.<\/p>\n katakata\/gatagata<\/em>: the sound of rattling, the latter being a \u201cheavier\u201d sound.<\/p>\n gatangoton, gatangoton<\/em>: the rhythmic sound of a train clattering along its tracks.<\/p>\n garagara<\/em>: the sound of rattling, often used to describe a person gargling.<\/p>\n mesomeso<\/em>: uncontrollable weeping.<\/p>\n pakupaku<\/em>: the sound of someone eating or happily chomping on something.<\/p>\n pa~n\/ba~n<\/em>: said with feeling, this mimics the sound of a firm slap or a (small) explosion such as a balloon popping, the latter for deeper pitch.<\/p>\n patapata<\/em>: the sound of raindrops falling softly onto a surface, wings flapping, or light, quick footsteps.<\/p>\n pekopeko<\/em>: an empty stomach grumbling.<\/p>\n poki\/boki<\/em>: the sound of thin object, such as a twig or waribashi chopsticks, being broken. The latter is used for larger, thicker objects.<\/p>\n shikushiku<\/em>: to cry audibly though not as hard as\u00a0mesomeso<\/em>.<\/p>\n tekuteku<\/em>: footsteps as a person trudges along, usually depressed or crestfallen.<\/p>\n waiwai<\/em>: many people being loud.<\/p>\n warawara<\/em>: the sound of a place bustling with activity and movement.<\/p>\n za~za~<\/em>: the sound of heavy rainfall<\/p>\n This is where things get really interesting, especially for those whose native languages do not employ such words. Like the two categories that come before it,\u00a0gitaito<\/em>\u00a0\u64ec\u614b\u8a9e features the kanji characters for \u201cmimic\u201d and \u201csound\u201d, but sandwiched in the middle you\u2019ll find \u201c\u614b\u201d, meaning attitude, condition or appearance. Not technically onomatopoeia,\u00a0gitaigo<\/em>\u00a0are mimetic words that describe actions or states and can be applied to almost anything. There is some cross-over with\u00a0giongo<\/em>, but on the whole these words do not exist as \u201csounds\u201d per-se, and used in the right context their meaning will be obvious to a native speaker.<\/p>\n batabata<\/em>: to be extremely busy and rushing around, sometimes (but not always) making a lot of noise in the process<\/p>\n boroboro<\/em>: the word used to describe your clothes, bag, books etc being worn out and shabby.<\/p>\n burabura<\/em>: to stroll or wander around (usually positive and suggesting a carefree attitude).<\/p>\n buyobuyo<\/em>: used to describe something being fat or flabby.<\/p>\n furafura<\/em>: to be dizzy or unsteady on one\u2019s feet.<\/p>\n garagara<\/em>: to be empty or unoccupied. This is often used to describe things like rooms, train carriages etc.<\/p>\n gassha~n<\/em>: the sound of something fragile, such as glass, exploding, frequently used in manga.<\/p>\n geragera<\/em>: loud laughter. Imagine the powerful, bearded character Mamma Aiuto from Ghibli\u2019s\u00a0Porco Rosso<\/em>\u00a0bursting into laughter and you\u2019ll be on the right track.<\/p>\n iraira<\/em>: to be irritable or on angry, typically in adults.<\/p>\n ja~n!\/jaja~n!<\/em>: the Japanese version of \u201ctadaa\u201d, used when something (usually impressive or pleasant) appears or is suddenly revealed.<\/p>\n jirojiro<\/em>: to stare, often conveying hostility or suggesting a lack of manners in the person doing it.<\/p>\n ka~n ka~n\/go~n go~n<\/em>: a church or temple bell ringing, the latter being a lower pitch.<\/p>\n kirakira<\/em>: something sparkling; diamonds, the sunlight on the surface of a lake, the eyes of the girl or boy you\u2019re trying to woo\u2026<\/p>\n kirikiri<\/em>: a sharp pain.<\/p>\n kusukusu<\/em>: the sound of giggling or quiet laughter.<\/p>\n kasakasa\/gasagasa<\/em>: crisp, dry objects, such as paper rubbing together, the latter used for larger objects.<\/p>\n korokoro\/gorogoro<\/em>: round, rolling objects, usually large and heavy when the latter is used.<\/p>\n kurukuru<\/em>: an object whirling or revolving at speed.<\/p>\n morimori<\/em>: word used to describe something or someone swelling up, usually with pride or energy.<\/p>\n nebaneba<\/em>: sticky and stringy substances. The perfect word to describe foods like\u00a0natto<\/a>.<\/p>\n nikoniko<\/em>: you may know it from the\u00a0video service<\/a>\u00a0of the same name, but this word describes smiling happily.<\/p>\n niyaniya<\/em>: not to be confused with \u201cnya<\/em>\u201c, this describes a person grinning.<\/p>\n nyoronyoro<\/em>: a long, thin object or creature squirming or moving.<\/p>\n perapera<\/em>: a word used most often to describe fluency in speech. It can also be used to describe the action of flipping pages in a book.<\/p>\n pikapika<\/em>: shiny and new, not just one of\u00a0our pal Pikachu<\/a>\u2018s few phrases of speech.<\/p>\n punpun<\/em>: to be angry or sulky. Often used to imply an element of cuteness at the same time.<\/p>\n pyonpyon<\/em>: hopping or skipping with spritely energy.<\/p>\n shinshin<\/em>: not to be confused with \u201cchinchin<\/em>\u201d (which means penis), this word is predominantly used to describe soft snow falling silently and at speed, and is one of this writer\u2019s absolute favourites.<\/p>\n ukiuki<\/em>: to be in high spirits.<\/p>\n shikushiku<\/em>: a constant dull pain when used with the word \u201citai\u201d, meaning pain.<\/p>\n uruuru<\/em>: describes the action of wandering around aimlessly (usually a negative connotation), otherwise describing someone\u2019s teary-eyed expression.<\/p>\n wakuwaku<\/em>: to be excited or nervous in anticipation.<\/p>\n zukizuki<\/em>: a throbbing pain. A very useful word when going to the clinic!<\/p>\n There are, of course, hundreds of other onomatopoeic words out there for you to discover and learn, so keep your eyes and ears open and see what you can find. It may take a while to learn how to use each of these terms, but with this short list as a reference and a little practice,\u00a0you\u2019re bound to be told how \u201cperapera<\/em>\u201d you are in no time!<\/p>\n Top image:\u00a0Wikimedia Commons<\/a>\u00a0<\/em> Related articles from RocketNews24:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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<\/a>\u201cGao~!\u201d<\/p>\n\n
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<\/a>\u201cGargle gargle\u201d<\/p>\n\n
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<\/a>\u201cThis dish is the most\u00a0nebaneba<\/em>\u00a0I\u2019ve ever seen\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\nAdditional images:\u00a0nifty<\/a>,\u00a0shinribukuro<\/a>\u00a0rakuten<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n