{"id":105684,"date":"2024-02-07T16:41:13","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T21:41:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/japanese-onomatopoeia\/"},"modified":"2025-02-26T01:06:48","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T06:06:48","slug":"japanese-onomatopoeia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/japanese\/japanese-onomatopoeia\/","title":{"rendered":"70 Common Japanese Onomatopoeia and How to Use Them (With Audio)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Woof, roar, tick-tock, ding-dong, whoosh, BOOM!<\/em><\/p>\n

All of these are examples of onomatopoeia, or words that imitate the sound it describes.<\/p>\n

In Japanese, onomatopoeia is known as \u64ec\u97f3\u8a9e\u00a0(\u304e\u304a\u3093\u3054).<\/p>\n

This post will give you a complete rundown on Japanese onomatopoeia<\/strong>\u2014 the five types, 70 useful onomatopoeia words, how the words are used in everyday Japanese and more.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc skip=3]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What Are The 5 Types of Japanese Onomatopoeia?<\/h2>\n

Onomatopoeia can be broken into five different groups:<\/p>\n

\u64ec\u58f0\u8a9e (\u304e\u305b\u3044\u3054)\u00a0\u2014 Giseigo<\/em><\/strong>
\nThese are sounds made by living things like birds tweeting or children laughing.<\/p>\n

\u64ec\u97f3\u8a9e (\u304e\u304a\u3093\u3054)\u00a0\u2014 Giongo<\/em><\/strong>
\nThese are sounds made by inanimate objects such as airplanes or creaky doors.<\/p>\n

\u64ec\u614b\u8a9e (\u304e\u305f\u3044\u3054)\u00a0\u2014 Gitaigo<\/em><\/strong>
\nThese are words that depict emotions or bodily feelings, like the sound of someone growing angry or the sound of your stomach growling.<\/p>\n

\u64ec\u5bb9\u8a9e (\u304e\u3088\u3046\u3054)\u00a0\u2014 <\/strong>Giyougo<\/strong>
\n<\/em>These are sounds that describe movement.<\/p>\n

\u64ec\u60c5\u8a9e (\u304e\u3058\u3087\u3046\u3054) \u2014 Gijougo<\/em><\/strong>
\nThese are words that describe feelings and emotions.<\/p>\n

Usually, onomatopoeia that mimics a sound is written in katakana.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For example, \u30ef\u30f3\u30ef\u30f3 (woof woof), \u30b1\u30ed\u30b1\u30ed (ribbit ribbit) and \u30c9\u30ab\u30f3 (boom!) are all written in katakana.<\/p>\n

Onomatopoeia that mimics actions, emotions, psychological or physical states of being is usually written in hiragana.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u308f\u304f\u308f\u304f (to get nervous or excited with anticipation), \u306d\u3070\u306d\u3070 (to be sticky) and \u304d\u3089\u304d\u3089 (to shine, sparkle and glisten), for instance, are seen in hiragana.<\/p>\n

But this isn’t a strict rule, and depending on the writer, any onomatopoeia can appear in hiragana or katakana.<\/p>\n

Every onomatopoeia is broken into three basic forms:<\/p>\n

Double Form:<\/strong> \u306b\u3053\u306b\u3053<\/strong> (niko niko<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

-\u3068\u00a0Form:<\/strong> \u306b\u3053\u3063\u3068<\/strong> (nikotto<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

-\u308a Form:<\/strong> \u306b\u3053\u308a<\/strong> (nikori<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

Using onomatopoeia in sentences will appear in one of these forms.<\/p>\n

But not all onomatopoeia can take every one of these forms (it may only use two), and their meaning can change slightly depending on the one it’s in.<\/p>\n

Additionally, some words look like onomatopoeia but are not. When in doubt, always double-check!<\/p>\n

NihongoResources<\/a> and Tangorin<\/a> (my personal favorite) are awesome dictionaries that you can use to look up different onomatopoeia.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Animal and Human Onomatopoeia \u2014 Giseigo<\/em> (\u64ec\u58f0\u8a9e)<\/h2>\n

Animals<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Japanese Onomatopoeia<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
\u30ef\u30f3\u30ef\u30f3 <\/a>\n <\/td>woof (dog)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u30a6\u30a9\u30fc\u30c3 <\/a>\n <\/td>howl (dog)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u30cb\u30e3\u30fc\u30cb\u30e3\u30fc <\/a>\n <\/td>meow (cat)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u30b4\u30ed\u30b4\u30ed <\/a>\n <\/td>purr (car)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u30e2\u30fc\u30e2\u30fc <\/a>\n <\/td>moo (cow)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u30d2\u30d2\u30fc\u30f3 <\/a>\n <\/td>neigh (horse)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u30b1\u30ed\u30b1\u30ed <\/a>\n <\/td>ribbit (frog)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u30db\u30fc\u30db\u30fc <\/a>\n <\/td>hoot (owl)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u30c1\u30c1\u30c1 <\/a>\n <\/td>tweet (birds)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u30c1\u30e5\u30f3\u30c1\u30e5\u30f3 <\/a>\n <\/td>chirp (bird)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u30ea\u30f3\u30ea\u30f3 <\/a>\n <\/td>chirping (cricket)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u30c1\u30e5\u30a6\u30c1\u30e5\u30a6 <\/a>\n <\/td>squeak (mouse)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u3076\u30fc\u3093 <\/a>\n <\/td>buzz (bee)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u30d6\u30fc\u30d6\u30fc <\/a>\n <\/td>oink (pig)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

People<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Japanese Onomatopoeia<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
\u3061\u3073\u3061\u3073 <\/a>\n <\/td>to sip a drink; to nibble on food<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u30ac\u30d6\u30ac\u30d6 <\/a>\n <\/td>gulp vigorously; swig<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u3054\u304f\u3054\u304f <\/a>\n <\/td>gulp down a drink; drink in long gulps<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u30ba\u30eb\u30ba\u30eb <\/a>\n <\/td>slurp<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u304c\u3064\u304c\u3064 <\/a>\n <\/td>eating ravenously; devour<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u3071\u304f\u3071\u304f <\/a>\n <\/td>heartily eating; quivering lips<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u3080\u3057\u3083\u3080\u3057\u3083 <\/a>\n <\/td>to munch or to chomp on something<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u3059\u3084\u3059\u3084 <\/a>\n <\/td>sleeping peacefully<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u3050\u3063\u3059\u308a <\/a>\n <\/td>soundly sleeping<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u3046\u3068\u3046\u3068 <\/a>\n <\/td>drowsy; nodding off<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u304f\u305f\u304f\u305f <\/a>\n <\/td>weak with exhaustion; worn out; beat tired<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u304c\u307f\u304c\u307f <\/a>\n <\/td>nagging (loudly); scolding<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u3076\u3064\u3076\u3064 <\/a>\n <\/td>grumble; muttered complaint<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u3082\u3050\u3082\u3050 <\/a>\n <\/td>mumble<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u306f\u304d\u306f\u304d <\/a>\n <\/td>unhesitating; talk clearly and briskly<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u304f\u3089\u304f\u3089 <\/a>\n <\/td>feel dizzy; light-headed<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Inanimate Objects Onomatopoeia \u2014 Giongo<\/em> (\u64ec\u97f3\u8a9e)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Japanese Onomatopoeia<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
\u3050\u3061\u3083\u3050\u3061\u3083 <\/a>\n <\/td>pulpy; soppy; soggy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u30d1\u30ea\u30d1\u30ea <\/a>\n <\/td>crunchy; crisp<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u306d\u3070\u306d\u3070 <\/a>\n <\/td>sticky; gooey<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u307c\u305d\u307c\u305d <\/a>\n <\/td>crumbly and dry; muttering under your breath<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u3061\u304f\u3061\u304f <\/a>\n <\/td>prickly pain; need-like pain<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u305a\u304d\u305a\u304d <\/a>\n <\/td>throbbing pain<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u3057\u304f\u3057\u304f <\/a>\n <\/td>dull pain; gripping pain<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u30d0\u30bf\u30f3 <\/a>\n <\/td>shutting; bang<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u30c9\u30b5\u30c3 <\/a>\n <\/td>falling hard; falling of a heavy object<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u30b3\u30f3\u30b3\u30f3 <\/a>\n <\/td>knocking<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u30ac\u30b7\u30e3\u30f3 <\/a>\n <\/td>crashing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Emotions or Bodily Feelings Onomatopoeia \u2014 Gitaigo<\/em> (\u64ec\u614b\u8a9e)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Japanese Onomatopoeia<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
\u306e\u308d\u306e\u308d <\/a>\n <\/td>sluggishly, lazily, dragging<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u3054\u308d\u3054\u308d <\/a>\n <\/td>stay idle; laying around; loaf around<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u3079\u3068\u3079\u3068 <\/a>\n <\/td>sticky<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u30b0\u30eb\u30b0\u30eb <\/a>\n <\/td>dizzy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u30d4\u30ea\u30d4\u30ea <\/a>\n <\/td>spicy; hot<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u307b\u304b\u307b\u304b <\/a>\n <\/td>warm food or body<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u3058\u308d\u3058\u308d <\/a>\n <\/td>staring intensely<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u3055\u3063\u3071\u308a <\/a>\n <\/td>feeling refreshed<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u3072\u3093\u3084\u308a <\/a>\n <\/td>feeling cool<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Movement Onomatopoeia \u2014 Giyougo<\/em> (\u64ec\u5bb9\u8a9e)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Japanese Onomatopoeia<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
\u30ac\u30c1\u30ac\u30c1 <\/a>\n <\/td>teeth chattering<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u30ab\u30d0\u30ab\u30d0 <\/a>\n <\/td>eating quickly, chewing rapidly<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u3059\u305f\u3053\u3089 <\/a>\n <\/td>walking briskly<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u3086\u3063\u304f\u308a <\/a>\n <\/td>to do something slowly<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u3046\u308d\u3046\u308d <\/a>\n <\/td>wandering around aimlessly<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u304c\u304f\u304c\u304f <\/a>\n <\/td>joints shaking, knees wobbling<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u3076\u308b\u3076\u308b <\/a>\n <\/td>trembling or shivering (from anger, fear, coldness, etc.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u3046\u3068\u3046\u3068 <\/a>\n <\/td>nodding off into sleep; half asleep<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u306e\u308d\u306e\u308d <\/a>\n <\/td>rolling; moving slow and sluggishly<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Feelings and Emotions Onomatopoeia \u2014 Gijougo<\/em> (\u64ec\u60c5\u8a9e)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Japanese Onomatopoeia<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
\u3046\u305a\u3046\u305a <\/a>\n <\/td>to itch with desire; struggling to resist an urge<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u304a\u308d\u304a\u308d <\/a>\n <\/td>too flustered, nervous, shocked to think or move<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u305d\u308f\u305d\u308f <\/a>\n <\/td>fidgety; restless; have butterflies from excitement or nerves<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u3073\u3063\u304f\u308a <\/a>\n <\/td>thrilled; surprised; frightened; shocked<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u3044\u3089\u3044\u3089 <\/a>\n <\/td>edgy; testy; ticked off (especially when being made to wait)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u3064\u3093\u3064\u3093 <\/a>\n <\/td>to be cross; cranky; aloof<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u3067\u308c\u3067\u308c <\/a>\n <\/td>moonstruck; behave as if moonstruck<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u304a\u305f\u304a\u305f <\/a>\n <\/td>shocked speechless<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u3069\u304d\u3069\u304d <\/a>\n <\/td>heart pounding; nervous; excited<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

How to Use Japanese Onomatopoeia<\/h2>\n

Japanese onomatopoeia is used in everyday conversation and is a great way to mix up your vocabulary and impress your friends.<\/p>\n

Onomatopoeia helps convey a clearer message<\/strong> of what you\u2019re trying to say by attaching itself to a verb.<\/p>\n

Take the verb, “\u7b11\u3046<\/strong>“ (to laugh) for example. A loud, boisterous laugh is “\u3052\u3089\u3052\u3089.” So to express loud laughter, or laughing out loud, we can say “\u3052\u3089\u3052\u3089\u7b11\u3046!“<\/p>\n

You can also slightly change the meaning of an onomatopoeia depending on what form it’s in or the word it’s attached to. For example:<\/p>\n

\u3046\u3068\u3046\u3068\u7720\u308b \u2014 to have a nap<\/p>\n

\u3046\u3068\u3046\u3068\u3059\u308b<\/strong> \u2014 to fall into a sleep<\/p>\n

\u3046\u3068\u3046\u3068\u3068<\/strong>\u7720\u308b \u2014 to doze off to sleep<\/p>\n

Lastly, some onomatopoeia must be used with the participle \u3068 (a particle that quotes a thought, sound or speech), such as these:<\/p>\n

\u5f7c\u5973\u306f\u300c\u597d\u304d\u3067\u3059\u300d\u3068<\/strong>\u8a00\u3063\u305f \u2014 She said, \u201cI like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u5f7c\u306f\u300c\u30c0\u30e1\u3060\u300d\u3068<\/strong>\u8a00\u3063\u305f \u2014 He said, \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u4eca\u306f\u3059\u3084\u3059\u3084\u3068<\/strong>\u9759\u304b\u306a\u5bdd\u606f\u3092\u7acb\u3066\u3066\u3044\u308b \u2014 Now they are sleeping soundly.<\/p>\n

Take a look at these examples where Japanese onomatopoeia is used in common conversation:<\/p>\n

\u65e5\u672c\u8a9e\u304c\u307a\u3089\u307a\u3089<\/strong>\u306b\u306a\u308a\u305f\u3044 \u2014 I want to become fluent<\/strong> in Japanese
\n\u5f7c\u5973\u306f\u30d5\u30e9\u30f3\u30b9\u8a9e\u304c\u307a\u3089\u307a\u3089<\/strong>\u3067\u3059 \u2014 She is fluent<\/strong> in French<\/p>\n

\u304a\u8179\u304c\u307a\u3053\u307a\u3053<\/strong>\u3067\u3059 \u2014 I\u2019m starved<\/strong>
\n\u671d\u3054\u98ef\u304b\u3089\u4f55\u3082\u98df\u3079\u3066\u306a\u304f\u3066\u3001\u304a\u8179\u304c\u307a\u3053\u307a\u3053<\/strong>\u3060\u3088 \u2014 I haven\u2019t eaten since breakfast, so I\u2019m really<\/strong> hungry<\/strong><\/p>\n

As you can see from the last two examples, \u307a\u3053\u307a\u3053\u00a0doesn’t have a direct translation like “starving” or “hungry.” Rather, it can mean both based on the context.<\/p>\n

The same applies here:<\/p>\n

\u5f7c\u5973\u306f\u5f7c\u3092\u307f\u3066\u308f\u304f\u308f\u304f<\/strong>\u3057\u305f \u2014 She was excited<\/strong> to see him
\n\u65b0\u3057\u3044\u4ed5\u4e8b\u306b\u308f\u304f\u308f\u304f<\/strong>\u3057\u3066\u3044\u308b \u2014 I\u2019m thrilled<\/strong> with my new job<\/p>\n

\u5f7c\u3089\u306f\u30e9\u30d6\u30e9\u30d6<\/strong>\u306e\u30ab\u30c3\u30d7\u30eb\u3060 \u2014 They\u2019re a lovey-dovey<\/strong> couple
\n\u4eca\u3001\u4e8c\u4eba\u306f\u30e9\u30d6\u30e9\u30d6<\/strong>\u3060 \u2014 Now they\u2019re deeply in love<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since Japanese onomatopoeia is very context-based, the best way to learn new onomatopoeia and become good at using them is to immerse yourself in Japanese content.<\/p>\n

You can do this easily by reading manga, talking to a language partner and\/or using an immersion-based language learning program like FluentU<\/a>.

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n \"FluentU\r\n

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