Japanese Onomatopoeia: Giongo and Gitaigo You’ll Hear Every Day
Japanese onomatopoeia are words that imitate sounds, like ワンワン (wan wan, a dog barking), or describe how something looks or feels, like キラキラ (kira kira, sparkling). Words for sounds are called 擬音語 (giongo) and words for states and feelings are 擬態語 (gitaigo). Japanese has well over a thousand of them, and they aren’t just for children or manga: adults use them every day to describe pain at the doctor, the texture of food or how tired they feel. Learning a few dozen will make your Japanese sound far more natural. Here are the ones to start with.
Sounds, states and feelings
Most Japanese onomatopoeia fall into three groups. Sound words (giongo) imitate real noises. State words (gitaigo) describe how things look, move or feel, even when they make no sound at all. A smaller group, sometimes called 擬情語 (gijōgo), describes emotions. Many follow a repeated pattern, such as ドキドキ (doki doki), and are often written in katakana for sounds and hiragana for states, though both are common.
Everyday words to learn first
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ドキドキ | doki doki | Heart pounding, from nerves or excitement |
| ワクワク | waku waku | Excited, looking forward to something |
| イライラ | ira ira | Irritated, on edge |
| ぺこぺこ | peko peko | Starving (おなかがぺこぺこ); also bowing again and again |
| くたくた | kuta kuta | Exhausted, worn out |
| にこにこ | niko niko | Smiling happily |
| ぐっすり | gussuri | Sleeping soundly |
| ぎりぎり | giri giri | Only just, at the last moment |
| ゆっくり | yukkuri | Slowly, taking your time |
| ざあざあ | zā zā | Pouring with rain |
Food and texture
Japanese food talk is full of texture words, and you will hear them in restaurants, cooking shows and adverts. サクサク (saku saku) is light and crispy, like tempura. もちもち (mochi mochi) is soft and chewy, like mochi or fresh bread. ふわふわ (fuwa fuwa) is fluffy, like a soufflé pancake. トロトロ (toro toro) is meltingly soft, and ネバネバ (neba neba) is sticky, like natto. Saying サクサクでおいしい！ is an easy way to compliment food. See our guide to eating out in Japan for more restaurant Japanese.
Describing pain at the doctor
Doctors in Japan often ask what kind of pain you have, and the answer is usually an onomatopoeia. ズキズキ (zuki zuki) is a throbbing pain, like a headache. キリキリ (kiri kiri) is a sharp, stabbing pain, often in the stomach. ヒリヒリ (hiri hiri) is a stinging or burning pain, like sunburn. ムカムカ (muka muka) means feeling sick. Knowing these makes appointments much easier. Our guide to Japanese at the doctor has the rest of the phrases you need.
How to use them in a sentence
- With する: ドキドキする (to feel nervous), イライラする (to be irritated).
- As an adverb, often with と: ゆっくり（と）話してください (please speak slowly).
- With だ or です: もうくたくたです (I’m exhausted).
- Before a noun with の: ふわふわのパンケーキ (a fluffy pancake).
Small changes in sound change the feeling. コロコロ (koro koro) is something small rolling, while ゴロゴロ (goro goro) is something heavier, or a person lazing around at home. Voiced sounds with dakuten usually feel bigger, heavier or rougher.
How to learn them
Onomatopoeia are hard to learn from lists, because their meaning lives in context. Notice them in manga, anime, dramas and conversation, write down the whole sentence, and try using one or two new words each week. Our guide to learning Japanese with anime and dramas explains how to turn viewing into study. In lessons, a native tutor can tell you which words sound natural for adults, which sound childish, and which are best kept for friends.