Japanese onomatopoeia refers to words that imitate sounds, enhancing the expressiveness of the language. Here are some key points:

  • Types: Onomatopoeia in Japanese can be categorized into two main types: 擬音語 (giongo), which imitates actual sounds (like animal noises), and 擬態語 (gitaigo), which represents states or conditions (like feelings or movements).
  • Writing: These words are typically written in either hiragana or katakana. Hiragana is often used for softer sounds, while katakana is used for harder sounds or emphasis.
  • Examples: Common examples include "ワンワン" (wan-wan) for a dog's bark and "ドキドキ" (doki-doki) for a heartbeat.
  • Usage: Onomatopoeia adds vividness to descriptions in both spoken and written Japanese, making it a playful and poetic aspect of the language.
For a comprehensive list of Japanese onomatopoeia, you can refer to the following list that provide extensive examples and their meanings.

Japanese Onomatopoeia

Oh yeah, Of course it is so, Cheer up, that's average, It happens, It's possible, Don't worry, it happens

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

with a single stroke, resolutely, drastically, completely

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

being afraid of; being fearful; being timid; being nervous; trembling; shivering

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

hard (e.g. penis); strong (e.g. beat of music); throbbing (e.g. headache); blaring (e.g. rock music)

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

stickily; relentlessly

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

soaked, drenched, sopping, soppy, wet; incessantly (raining), drizzling

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

munching, crunching; scratching (an itch)

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

ruffled (hair, brush bristles, etc.); unkempt; dishevelled; untidy; tousled; idling away time; dawdling; dilly-dallying

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

drip drip

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

shrewd, smart, calculating, astute, sharp, cunning

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

diligently, seriously, earnestly, reliably, steadily, legitimately; perfectly, properly, exactly, orderly, punctually, regularly

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

loose (of clothing); loose-fitting; plenty (of pouring a liquid); sloshing about (e.g. of water in one's stomach)

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

feeling startled; getting a shock; prank; practical joke

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

drumming (noise), beating, pounding, banging, booming, stamping; rapidly, quickly, steadily

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

dark, gloomy, overcast, gray; heavy, leaden, dull, lackluster, glazed

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

heaps, a lot, plenty, oodles; with a thud

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

gently, airily, fluffily

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

unsteadily (e.g. on one's feet); shakily; staggering; tottering; reeling; dizzily; giddily; wavering (in one's mind); unsteadily; indecisively; aimlessly; unconsciously; whimsically; without thinking

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

aimlessly; unexpectedly (showing up); slowly swaying; staggering; moving feebly

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

with a clatter; with a rattle; empty; bare; uninhabited; vacant; unoccupied; rough (personality, speech, etc.); unreserved; outspoken; boorish; ill-mannered

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

to burst open, to open suddenly (of a door); to change completely, to do a 180

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

glaringly; dazzlingly; blazingly

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

oily; greasy; sticky

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

with a scraping sound; with a grating sound; with a scratching sound; with force; hard; vigorously; forcibly (carry out); forcefully; in a pushy manner; hard (e.g. food); stiff (e.g. clothing); inflexible; uncompromising; dyed-in-the-wool; hardcore; serio

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

thundering; purring; grumbling (e.g. stomach); something large and heavy starting to roll; scattered about; common; commonplace; all over; idleness; idling about; having a foreign substance in (e.g. one's eye or stomach); thunder

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

trouble; difficulties; dispute; quarrel; discord; dissension; confusion; disorder; mess; muddle

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

pulpy, soppy; sloppy, untidy, in a disarray, chaotic

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

winding; meandering; wriggling; wiggling; waving; swaying; twisting and turning

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

soundly (sleeping), fast (asleep)

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

simmering, boiling gently

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

clearly, plainly, distinctly; to be clear, to be definite, to be certain, to be exact, to become clear, to clear up

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

to feel anxious; to feel nervous; to be kept in suspense; to feel excited; to feel thrilled; fluttering down; trickling down (e.g. tears); hanging untidily (of hair); straggling

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

dead drunk, blotto

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

foolishly (laughing); thoughtlessly (smiling); indiscreetly (talking); carelessly (speaking); frivolously; flippantly; thin (paper, cloth, etc.); flimsy; flaring up; bursting into flames

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

fluttering; flickering (light, flame, etc.)

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

quiet (place), still, silent, deserted; inconspicuously, modestly, quietly

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

comfortably warm; steaming hot (food); piping hot; glowing (with warmth)

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

to get irritated; to get annoyed; to be on the edge; to fret; to lose patience

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

more and more; all the more; increasingly; at last; finally; beyond doubt; (at the) last moment; worst possible time

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

clanging (of a bell); jangling; ding-dong; continuously; incessantly; one after another; rapidly; plentifully; freely

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

deliberately; carefully; thoroughly; without rushing

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

ticktock; chinking (e.g. of a hammer against rock); knocking; clicking; clacking; clattering; dry and hard; (frozen) stiff; hidebound; die-hard; stubborn; obstinate; bigoted; scared stiff; tense; nervous; frightened

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

crisp (e.g. potato chip, fried fish, etc.); crunchy; grumpily; touchily; edgily; irritably; scratching

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

clearly, plainly, distinctly, decisively, flatly, definitely, resolutely

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

glittering, sparkling, glistening, twinkling

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

nodding (in agreement, with approval, etc.); suddenly; deep (flavor, flavour, color, colour, etc.); rich

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

crisp (like a pickle); crunchy; firm (musculature); stiff (shoulders, neck, etc.)

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

lightly rolling (of a small and round thing); pleasant, high-pitched sound (e.g. bell, young woman's laughter)

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

sneakily, secretly, stealthily

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

thickly, heavily, richly; severely, strongly

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

distinctly (standing out), clearly, in sharp relief, boldly

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

whirling, revolving, spinning, going round and round; coiling around, winding around, rolling around

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

so-so, passable; now, now

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

sobbing; weeping; whimpering

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

springy (texture), doughy, elastic

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

mumbling, chewing one's words; chewing (food)

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

springy (texture), puffy

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

plump; chubby; voluptuous

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

rising up, towering, billowing (e.g. clouds of smoke); plump, chubby, fat

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

delicately, weakly, gently, supplely

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

sticky; persistent; insistent; nagging

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

slimy

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

carefree, at leisure

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

slimy; slippery; greasy; clammy; smoothly (of CGI movements, video streaming, etc.)

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

slithering; wriggling

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

timidly; nervously; hesitantly; trembling (with fear)

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

shamelessly, acting brazenly unaffected; being resigned to (disgrace)

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

in confusion, in a fluster, in bewilderment, in a dither, in a panic, all shook up, helplessly; sobbing, tearfully, trembling (voice)

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

flustered; flurried; (shocked) speechless

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

timidly; nervously; with nervous diffidence; trembling with fear

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

sound of typing on a keyboard

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

repeatedly opening and closing (one's mouth); gasping; flapping (e.g. shoe sole); gaping open and shut; heartily (eating); devouring; munching; gobbling

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

gaping (e.g. mouth, wound); snapping into, biting into

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

kapow, bang, slap, clap; bulging, filled to bursting

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

crispy; crunchy; tearing; ripping; cracking; spirited; energetic; vigorous; brand-new and high quality (clothing); well-starched; crisp (bill)

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

suddenly; in a flash; rapidly; nimbly; alertly; attractive; distinguished; showy; catching

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

fluently (speaking a foreign language); incessantly (speaking); glibly; garrulously; volubly; one after the other (flipping through pages); thin (paper, cloth, etc.); flimsy; weak

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

licking

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

bursting with youth and energy (esp. young woman); vivaciously young; spunky; energetic; (fish) jumping around energetically (e.g. when caught in a net); bursting (e.g. seams); tight; splattering (e.g. cooking oil)

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

with a flash, brightly, dazzlingly, sparklingly, brilliantly

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

lively, energetic, full of life; vigorously (jumping, flopping, etc.)

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

slapping, splashing, splatting, banging shut, flat (refusal, denial, etc.)

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

tightly, closely; exactly, precisely

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

to be plump; to be chubby

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

tossing

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

lightly; gaping wide

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

(dying) suddenly; (breaking) brittly, with a snap

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

in large drops

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

dripping, trickling, drop by drop

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

dots, spots; bit by bit, little by little, gradually

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

sound of bubbles (or other small objects) being popped; lumpy sensation (e.g. of food)

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

abruptly, suddenly in a bad mood, in a huff

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

lightly (floating), buoyantly; puffing (on a pipe, cigarette, etc.)

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

squishy, springy, bouncy

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

hopping, skipping, lightly and repeatedly jumping

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

crisp (not moist or juicy), crunchy, flaky (as in pastry); crunching sound (of walking on snow, frost, sand, etc.)

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

feeling refreshed, feeling relieved; neat, tidy, clean

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

rustling, murmuring; fluently

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

tightly (holding on); firmly; securely; reliably; dependably; levelheadedly; shrewdly; wisely; cleverly​

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

quietly, softly, seriously, intimately, heart-to-heart; solemn, sad

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

gently (raining), drizzling; moist, damp

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

downheartedly, dejectedly, dispiritedly, despondently

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

all, altogether, entirely, completely / exactly like, just like, spitting image of

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

all, completely, totally, entirely, thoroughly

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

smoothly; easily; readily

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

smoothly, swiftly

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

full, in plenty, ample

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

drop-by-drop, dripping, dribbling, in a trickle; incessantly (esp. speaking, e.g. complaints, compliments), in great profusion

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

gleaming; shining; glistening

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

briskly, quickly, promptly

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

gleamingly, shinily

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

sticky, syrupy, pulpy; weakly (of a flame), gently (e.g. boil), simmering

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

smooth, shiny, slick; slippery, greasy

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

cheerfully; buoyantly; happily; in high spirits

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

carelessly, thoughtlessly, inadvertently

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

tedious, boring, being fed up with

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

thinly; slightly; vaguely; a little

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

falling into a doze, dozing off, nodding off

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

ecstatically, spellbound, with rapt attention; abstractedly, absentmindedly, absorbedly, vacantly

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

itching to do something, impatient, sorely tempted, eager

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

softly, mildly, gently, politely

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

doddering, tottering, unsteady, shaky, decrepit, infirm, frail, feeble

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

totteringly, with tottering steps

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

locomotor ataxia, difficulty walking or speaking (due to alcoholism, a stroke, etc.), someone with this problem

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

worn-out; shabby; seedy; wrinkled-up; threadbare

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

slowly, at ease, restful

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

swaying; swinging; rocking; shaking; wavering; flickering

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

walking on frost, crunching (e.g. on gravel); lots of coins or jewels; cutting into large pieces; loosely weaving

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES

noisily (e.g. from many people talking); creating a commotion; rustling (leaves); feeling a chill; getting the chills

SHOW SAMPLE SENTENCES