Wham! Swoosh! Ding ding ding! Onomatopoeia functions as a way to turn sounds into words. While you could say someone “exclaimed in a high-pitched tone,” it rings better in your ears to say they “squealed!” Japanese onomatopoeia works the same way, but with more variety and room for creativity.
Adding onomatopoeia into conversations and writing adds flavor to your Japanese, and can even help you to sound more fluent. Dive into over 75 sound effects and other verbal imagery below, and as you continue to learn Japanese, keep an eye out for more!
Table of Contents
What is onomatopoeia in Japanese?
One word for onomatopoeia in Japanese is the French loanword onomatope (オノマトペ). There are also five specific categories covering different kinds of sound effects, with the most common being giongo (擬音語), giseigo (擬声語), and gitaigo (擬態語).
- giongo (擬音語): “words mimicking sounds,” or sounds made by objects and found in nature
- giseigo (擬声語): “words mimicking voices,” or sounds made by humans and animals
- gitaigo (擬態語): “words mimicking states,” or verbal imagery related to conditions and states of being
- gijōgo (擬情語): “words mimicking emotion,” or verbal imagery related to feelings
- giyōgo (擬容語): “words mimicking form,” or verbal imagery related to motion
Because the delineation can cause confusion, gijōgo and giyōgo are often included in gitaigo. In other words, gitaigo is a category that covers Japanese onomatopoeia used for description rather than imitating sounds.
The difference between a sound and verbal imagery as mentioned above is that verbal imagery may not sound like it appears in writing. For example, one example of giseigo—a sound made by a person—would be the sound of laughter. In English, this is like writing “haha” or “heehee.” Meanwhile, a classic example of verbal imagery without sound is the gitaigo for silence: shīn (しーん). This is used in writing because otherwise it would be, well, silent!
To see onomatopoeia in action, check out the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design, which has an art exhibit all about making onomatope visible. Highlights include:
- A tangled metal sculpture with talk tubes for hisohiso (whisper)
- Smooth, irregular-shaped mounds for tsurutsuru (smooth)
- Giant mushrooms with hammocks for utōto (nodding off)
How to use Japanese onomatopoeia
There are thousands of Japanese onomatopoeia compared to the hundreds of English onomatopoeia. Translating the Japanese precisely can be difficult, and onomatopoeia may appear as anything from sound effects to adverbs to adjectives in English. While there’s room for confusion, this also means that Japanese can boil an entire scene down to one word.
Using Japanese onomatopoeia with a verb
By using the generic “to do” verb suru (する), Japanese onomatopoeia can function as its own verb. While there may be more effective methods, this is one of the easiest ways to incorporate onomatopoeia into your vocabulary because of how universal suru is.
- Nihon e no ryokō ni wakuwaku shiteimasu!（日本への旅行にわくわくしています！）= I’m excited about my trip to Japan!
Using Japanese onomatopoeia as adverbs
Verbs paint a picture on their own, but by pairing them with related onomatopoeia as adverbs, you can make the verb more precise. Just like other Japanese adverbs, the word can be placed directly in front of the verb with no required additions.
- Akachan wa neta.（赤ちゃんは寝た。）= The baby slept.
- Akachan wa suyasuya neta.（赤ちゃんはすやすや寝た。）= The baby slept soundly.
This works well when describing how someone is laughing using the verb warau (笑う), as shown in these example sentences.
- Kanojo wa kusukusu waratta.（彼女はくすくす笑った。）= She giggled. (Literally: She laughed by giggling.)
- Kare wa geragera waratta.（彼はゲラゲラ笑った。）= He guffawed. (Literally: He laughed by guffawing.)
Using Japanese onomatopoeia by themselves
If you’re using onomatopoeia on its own with no suffixes or other attachments, then it fits in a sentence like a noun or adjective. For example, like Japanese nouns, it may be followed by the “to be” verb:
- 10 kiro aruite kutakuta da yo.（１０キロ歩いてくたくただよ。）= I walked 10 kilometers and I’m completely wiped out.
The lyrics of the opening song from the movie “From Up on Poppy Hill,” “Asagohan no Uta” (“The Breakfast Song”), is a perfect example of this, dropping the verb entirely because it’s understood.
| Japanese | Romanization | English |
| お鍋はグラグラ、お釜はシュウシュウ | onabe wa guragura, okama wa shūshū | The pot is bubbling, the rice is steaming |
| まな板はトントトン | mana ita wa ton to ton | The cutting board is standing by |
| お豆腐フルフル、卵はプルプル | otōfu furufuru, tamago wa purupuru | The tofu is jiggly, the eggs are slippery |
| 納豆はネバネバ | nattō wa nebaneba | The natto is sticky as can be |
Japanese onomatopoeia list
What are the most useful onomatopoeia for you to know? We’ve compiled a comprehensive Japanese onomatopoeia list of over 75 words you can integrate into your vocabulary today.
You may notice that the charts include both hiragana and katakana. Most onomatopoeia can be written with either depending on the writer’s preference. Katakana is generally associated with harsher sounds or situations, while hiragana is gentler.
Giongo: Japanese words mimicking sounds
One of the broadest categories, giongo includes onomatopoeia that emit specific sounds. Noises in everyday life like electronic beeping, cars zooming on the highway, and the sounds of natural phenomena are all part of this group of words.
| Japanese | Romanization | English |
| がらがら | garagara | rattling |
| ばたん | batan | slamming |
| ガタンゴトン | gatangoton | train rumbling on tracks |
| コンコン | konkon | knocking |
| ぽきぽき | pokipoki | cracking |
| かんかん | kankan | bell ringing |
| ざあざあ | zāzā | rain falling |
| ごろごろ | gorogoro | thunder rumbling |
| ちらちら | chirachira | snow falling |
| ひゅうひゅう | hyūhyū | wind whistling |
| パチリ | pachiri | camera clicking |
| プルルル | purururu | phone ringing |
| チン | chin | ding! (such as a cash register) |
| ピンポーン | pinpōn | sound indicating correct answer |
| ブー | bū | sound indicating incorrect answer |
Giseigo: Japanese words mimicking voices
As they also emit clear sounds, giseigo are sometimes categorized under giongo. This creates overlap, but the distinction is minor. The words in this list include exclamations and animal sounds, which fit nicely into dialogue.
| Japanese | Romanization | English |
| くすくす | kusukusu | giggling |
| うふふ | ufufu | chuckling |
| ゲラゲラ | geragera | guffawing |
| ひそひそ | hisohiso | whispering |
| ぶつぶつ | butsubutsu | grumbling |
| えーんえーん | ēnēn | crying |
| きゃあきゃあ | kyākyā | shrieking (in joy or fear) |
| ジャーン | jān | ta-da! |
| こんこん | konkon | coughing |
| ぜえぜえ | zēzē | wheezing from exertion |
| ニャー | nyā | meow |
| ワンワン | wanwan | woof |
| ピヨピヨ | piyopiyo | chirp |
| ケロケロ | kerokero | ribbit |
| コケコッコー | kokekokkō | cock-a-doodle-doo |
Gitaigo: Japanese words describing states and conditions
Gitaigo is another broad category of Japanese onomatopoeia that includes everything that doesn’t have a particular voiced sound. Instead, these words work best as descriptors to paint a more vivid picture in the mind’s eye. Certain words, like kirakira and pikapika, are also generally cute Japanese words to know!
| Japanese | Romanization | English |
| きらきら | kirakira | shining |
| ピカピカ | pikapika | sparkling |
| ふわふわ | fuwafuwa | fluffy |
| あっさり | assari | lightly seasoned/applied |
| しーん | shīn | silence |
| パチパチ | pachipachi | fire crackling |
| むしむし | mushimushi | muggy |
| ぎらぎら | giragira | glaringly bright |
| ぽかぽか | pokapoka | pleasantly warm |
| ぞくぞく | zokuzoku | shivering |
| じんじん | jinjin | painful tingling (“pins and needles”) |
| ぐうぐう | gūgū | stomach rumbling |
| ふらふら | furafura | staggering |
| へとへと | hetoheto | exhausted (from physical exertion) |
| くたくた | kutakuta | exhausted (from mental exertion) |
Gijōgo: Japanese words describing emotions
Onomatopoeia that describe emotions are commonly used because they help communicate exactly how someone is feeling. While many gijōgo translate to English as verbs, they work well on their own in Japanese—no verb required!
| Japanese | Romanization | English |
| どきどき | dokidoki | heart beating |
| じーん | jīn | deeply moved |
| がーん | gān | shocking realization |
| わくわく | wakuwaku | excited |
| おろおろ | oro-oro | flustered |
| いらいら | iraira | annoyed |
| ぷんぷん | punpun | fuming with anger |
| すっきり | sukkiri | refreshing |
| がっかり | gakkari | disappointed |
| びっくり | bikkuri | surprised |
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Giyōgo: Japanese words describing motion
Movement isn’t usually associated with sound, but there are plenty of giyōgo to suggest that imagery exactly. Think of the vibrations in your throat and change in air pressure in your ears when you gulp down water. There’s a word for that!
| Japanese | Romanization | English |
| ごくごく | gokugoku | gulping a drink |
| もぐもぐ | mogumogu | chewing food |
| にこにこ | nikoniko | happily smiling |
| にやにや | niyaniya | grinning; smirking |
| すやすや | suyasuya | sleeping soundly |
| ぽろぽろ | poroporo | large teardrops dripping |
| ごしごし | goshigoshi | sweeping the floor |
| のんびり | nonbiri | leisurely |
| ぎっしり | gisshiri | crammed |
| ゆっくり | yukkuri | slowly |
Japanese onomatopoeia used in manga
One of the most iconic ways onomatopoeia is used in Japanese is as sound effects in comic books, or manga (漫画). Comic books in English also have familiar sound effects like “Smack!” or “Zing!” but Japanese has significantly more variety.
Because of the visual nature of manga, lettering plays a role in how the onomatopoeia is perceived. Jagged fonts pair with jarring noises (especially if they’re written in katakana), and smooth, curling fonts accompany soft emotions (especially if they’re written in hiragana).
There’s even some artistic freedom with spelling. If a character’s heart rate is accelerated because of something upsetting or enticing, the word dokidoki can be altered slightly to express subtle changes in how or why their heart is pounding. This is similar to changing the spelling of “crash” to “krash” to suggest a more destructive sound.
- dokidoki: heart pounding (general)
- dokkidokki: heart pounding harder
- dokin: heart racing
- dokkīn: heart racing fast
- doki: heart skipping once
Here’s a list of some of the most common onomatopoeia found in Japanese manga!
| Japanese | Romanization | English |
| ドーン | dōn | boom (used for both loud noises and grand reveals) |
| ザワザワ | zawazawa | chattering |
| メラメラ | meramera | crackling with burning rage |
| はっ | hah | gasp |
| ぐー | gū | snoring |
| ピーンポーンパーン | pinponpan | intercom tone |
| ピッ | pi | beep |
| かああ | kā | blushing |
| ダダダダダ | dadadadada | dashing |
| ゴゴゴゴゴ | gogogogogo | rumbling |
Immerse yourself in Japanese onomatopoeia with Rosetta Stone
Jān! Ta-da! With dozens of Japanese onomatopoeia between giongo, giseigo, gitaigo, gijougo, and giyougo, you can describe sounds and situations with vivid clarity. Now, the next time you hear that someone is smiling, you’ll know whether it’s happily (nikoniko) or with a hint of a smirk (niyaniya) and respond accordingly.
Because so many Japanese onomatopoeia are associated with specific situations, it can be challenging to know the right time to use them. This is where Rosetta Stone can help by immersing you in the language to hear how native speakers naturally integrate them into conversation and writing. Don’t just look forward to learning Japanese: embrace that exciting feeling of wakuwaku!
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