The Fun Corners of Japanese

The Japanese language can come at us with intimidating complexity. Yet it also has its fun, playful sides. Namely, its two kinds of onomatopoeia.

Giseigo imitate artificial and natural sounds. They include animal call sounds, like a dog’s barking, a frog’s croaking, or nature sounds like “raining heavily.”

Gitaigo express and mimic emotions. They convey a mood. For example waku waku (to be excited), or doki doki (being nervously giddy).

Let’s dive in to some of the most common onomatopoeia!

Beta beta: Sticky. (ベタベタ）

Biri biri: Shocked! （ビリビリ）

Chibi chibi: To sip liquid. (ちびちび)

Doki doki: Being both anxious and excited at the same time. (ドキドキ)

Fura fura (shimas): Idling, fluttering around a place. (ふらふら)

Gachi gachi: Hard. (ガチガチ）

Gaku gaku: Things falling apart; getting weak. (がくがく)

Gari gari: Chewing loudly. （ガリガリ）

Gaya gaya: Things getting closer together or crowded, such as a train. (ガヤガヤ）

Gero gero: A frog’s croaking. Also can refer to puking! (げろげろ)

Fuwa fuwa: describes something that is light, airy or fluffy. (ふわふわ)

Gocha gocha: Refers to a disorderly desk, room, or street. It also can mean “to complain, to grumble.” (ごちゃごちゃ)