What are onomatopoeia? In their simplest form, onomatopoeia are words that represent sounds. In English, they're words like pop, meow, crackle, and whoosh. We add them to our spoken and written language to add something more substantial, more visceral. It's like adding color, flavor, or texture to what you're saying.

In Japanese, a language that many people have so inaccurately called "vague" in the past, onomatopoeia are there to fill that void. And not just in the ways we hear and see them in English as well as most Western European languages.

If you're past the beginner stages of learning Japanese you've probably used 起 （ お ） きる (to wake up), 食 （ た ） べる (to eat), and 寝 （ ね ） る (to sleep) more times than you can count. But there comes a time when you have to put down that textbook Japanese and throw in some flare. Lazily roll out of bed, gobble down some food, and sleep soundly.

Classification

There are thousands of onomatopoeia in Japanese. Here are 5 categories they can be broken up into:

Giseigo 擬声語 Animal and human sounds.

Giongo 擬音語 Actual sounds made by inanimate objects and nature.

Gitaigo 擬態語 Describe conditions and states.

Giyougo 擬容語 Describe movements and motions.

Gijougo 擬情語 Describe feelings.

If you know your kanji, the differences between them should be pretty easy to recognize if you do see them in the wild.

声 （ せい ） Voice

音 （ おん ） Sound/Noise

態 （ たい ） Condition/Appearance

容 （ よう ） Form/Looks

情 （ じょう ） Feelings/Emotions

Giseigo and giongo are just like onomatopoeia we have in English. The cow goes moo. The machine is whirring. They represent real sounds you can hear.

The last three describe what's called mimetic words, or ideophones. They describe or represent something that has no sound. The way you feel, the way you walk, and even your skin has an onomatopoeia to describe it. These mimetic words don't really exist in English, which makes mastering them difficult when learning Japanese. Let's take a look at each of these groups of words.

Giseigo 擬声語

These are sounds that humans and animals make. Some of them may sound very similar to what you learned growing up, and maybe some sound even closer to what you hear than what you write in your language.

Animal Japanese Sound English Sound Bear がおー Roar Bee ぶーん Buzz Bird ちゅんちゅん Tweet Cat にゃん Meow Chicken こけこっこ Cluck Cow もーもー Moo Crow かーかー Caw Dog わんわん Woof Duck がーがー Quack Fox こんこん ¯_(ツ)_/¯ Frog げろげろ Croak, Ribbit Godzilla がおー Roar Horse ひひいん Neigh Monkey うきうき Oo oo aa aa Mouse ちゅーちゅー Squeak Owl ほーほー Hoo Pig ぶーぶー Oink Sheep めーめー Baa

Japanese English がみがみ Being lectured or nagged by someone above you あはは A cheerful, loud laugh うわーん A child crying loudly うぎゃー A surprised scream or shriek うふふ Chuckling like you have a secret ぺちゃくちゃ Chatting about frivolous things ごにょごにょ Muttering so other people can't hear you ぺらぺら Being able to speak a foreign language fluently おほん Clearing your throat for attention くすくす Laughing quietly, unable to hold it in

Giongo 擬音語

These are also real sounds. They're the ones you see used in manga and anime. They're the sound of the wind moving through the trees, the door slamming shut, and the phone ringing. Basically, any sound you hear that isn't coming out of the mouth of a person or animal falls under this category.

Japanese English ごろごろ Thunder rumbling ざーざー Lots of heavy rain pouring down ぱたぱた Cloth lightly flapping in the wind ぴゅーぴゅー Strong, continuous, and cold wintry winds ばしゃっ Water scattering, splashing forcefully こぽこぽ Water bubbling gently めらめら Suddenly bursting into flames さくさく Stepping on soft dirt or sand ごろごろ A boulder or rocks tumbling down a hill たたたた Running at full speed

Gitaigo 擬態語

The first of our mimetic set, these words describe conditions and states.

Japanese English ぎらぎら A glint in your eyes ほかほか A warm body or food むしむし Too much warmth, unpleasantly hot べとべと Sticky with sweat or blood びしょびしょ Horribly soaked by a large amount of water がたがた A road that isn't paved でこぼこ Uneven ground さんさん Lots of shining sunlight ひんやり Feeling cool じんわり Soaking slowly with sweat or tears

Giyougo 擬容語

These describe movements and motions, usually relating to walking or traveling from place to place.

Japanese English うろうろ Wandering aimlessly すたこら Fast paced, eager walking のろのろ Proceeding at a snail's pace, slow and sluggish うとうと Half asleep, nodding off ぐっすり Completely and totally asleep ぐーたら Not having the willpower to do anything がくがく Joints, like knees, shaking ぶるぶる Trembling from cold, fear, or anger きょろきょろ Turning around looking around restlessly わいわい Clamorously

Gijougo 擬情語

Last, we have words that describe feelings. These are also used heavily in manga.

Japanese English くよくよ Worrying about the past or trivial things しんみり Lonely and quiet, solemn うきうき Happy, cheerfully lighthearted, and full of hope わくわく Excited from anticipation, pleasure, or happiness あたふた Running around in a hurry あわあわ Losing time or a grasp on your senses もじもじ Unable to make decisions because of embarrassment or shyness うっとり Being fascinated by something beautiful, spellbound ずきずき Throbbing, grinding pain もやもや Worrying or wondering what to do

Hiragana or Katakana

Onomatopoeia are written using either hiragana or katakana. While there are no definitive rules saying when you should use one or the other, in Jazz Up Your Japanese with Onomatopoeia, the author states that hiragana is used for "soft sounds" and katakana is used for "hard sounds" and emphasis. You'll see lots of back and forth in which one is used the more you read, which is just another reason why learning both hiragana and katakana is really important.

For the purposes of this guide, and consistency, I'll be providing all of the examples in hiragana.

Some onomatopoeia have kanji, and even though you'll probably never see it used, it does exist. Here's what it looks like:

燦燦 （ さんさん ） brilliant, shining sunlight

昏昏 （ こんこん ） long, deep sleep

齷齪 （ あくせく ） anxious, feeling like you don't have enough time

潺潺 （ せんせん ） the sound of a clear, shallow mountain stream

煌煌 （ こうこう ） bright and shining \

Sound Representation

Most words in languages are arbitrary. Someone, someday decided that the sun in the sky would be called the "sun." But not every person or every language wanted to call it that, and not everyone thinks "sun" when they look up at that bright thing in the sky (Please don't look directly at it!).

This arbitrary "it's the sun because I said so" stuff is pretty much thrown out the window when it comes to onomatopoeia, and even mimetic words. Gwilym Lockwood wrote a short, but interesting article, arguing that mimetic words have a universal quality to them using the following list:

See if you can guess the meanings of these Japanese ideophones: nurunuru – dry or slimy?

pikapika – bright or dark?

wakuwaku – excited or bored?

iraira – happy or angry?

guzuguzu – moving quickly or moving slowly

Take a look at the full list and the answers. You got most of them right, didn't you?

So something about these sounds hold meaning for us. Keep this in mind as you read on.

Consonants

Most Japanese syllables start with a consonant. Because the Japanese alphabet is extremely kind, it's (mostly) phonetic. This means that each sound is spelled exactly the way it is pronounced. And every written character is pronounced, unlike English, which has silent letters. Also, thanks to this, there are two neat little symbols called the dakuten and handakuten.

Dakuten 濁点 are two little dots, or lines, also called ten-ten.

Handakuten 半濁点 is the open circle, also called maru.

These symbols change the voicing of the consonants they're added to. Consonants can be voiced or unvoiced. Basically, voiced sounds are made with your vocal cords and unvoiced are made without. Here's what they look like in Japanese:

か > が

ka > ga

さ > ざ

sa > za

た > だ

ta > da

は > ば, は > ぱ

ha > ba, ha > pa

Sounds without these symbols are called seion 清音, meaning "pure sounds." Adding dakuten or handakuten make them dakuon 濁音, meaning "impure sounds." This is just the Japanese way of saying that an unvoiced sound is becoming voiced. That's also why the "han" in handakuten means half. Just think of it as being half as pure.

This voicing is very important for understanding onomatopoeia. There are lots of, what I'll call, sets, that represent different sounds based on their voiced and unvoiced counterpart. Let's look:

Japanese English こんこん knocking ごんごん banging さらさら silky ざらざら rough とんとん tapping どんどん drumming はらはら fluttering ばらばら rustling ぱらぱら clattering

The voiced version is always louder, heavier, and more intense than its unvoiced friend. That's probably what makes them seem "impure." Say these aloud and feel the difference.

Now, when you hear onomatopoeia, you can tell if it's something loud or strong based on what kind of consonant it has. Something using "loud" voiced consonants might be banging, rolling thunder, or strong feelings. Something "half" voiced will be noisy, but not loud, like the pitter patter of rain bouncing off of a window.

Vowels

These are just as important as consonants. Changing a character from か to こ will change the type of sound it's representing, just like adding dakuten and handakuten. Let's take a look:

かんかん clear clanging

きんきん high pitched clanging

こんこん low pitched clanging

For the purpose of this example, these are all representing a clanging sound. Something hitting something else. かんかん is the sound of something hitting metal or stone. きんきん is the sound of a musical triangle. こんこん is the sound of something hitting something hard and echoey. Again, say them aloud. Hit some things too! See if you can tell what vowel would be used to express the sound you're hearing. Here's are some general rules from Jazz Up Your Japanese:

あ long, slow

い little, small, quick

う long, slow

え something negative (bad)

お long, slow

Formation

Though most of these words are repetitive, like the examples above, not all of them follow the same pattern. Some onomatopoeia may even look like "normal" Japanese words to you, especially the mimetic ones that don't represent actual sounds. Here are some examples:

Reduplication

Just as in many other languages, the reduplication of a sound symbolizes repetition in sound or action. In Japanese this is called jougo 畳語 （ じょうご ） . You've probably seen this in other places in Japanese with the iteration mark 々 in words like: sometimes 時々 （ ときどき ） , various 色々 （ いろいろ ） and people kanji 人々 （ ひとびと ） . In onomatopoeia they usually refer to something that's happening over and over.

Japanese English ばらばら heavy rain drops or hail coming down わさわさ grass and leaves rustling in the wind ごぼごぼ gushing water だだだだ something running at full speed ごろごろ something rolling loudly or heavily

Ending in っ (+ と)

Although the rules of Japanese state that all sounds must end in a vowel (expect ん) because of the syllabary nature of the language, onomatopoeia are often pronounced with an abrupt stop. This is expressed in written language with a っ and is called a glottal stop. This is what we call a sound made by stopping air in your glottis (it's in your throat). The best way to hear it in English is to say "uh-uh." Some of these will be followed by the particle と in a sentence (but not all of them!). They usually refer to a sound that stopped suddenly or abruptly.

Japanese English ごくっ gulp げっ vomiting or gagging かっ coughing up something ぼーっ a flame flaring up suddenly がばっ suddenly waking up

Ending in り

The onomatopoeia form ending in り conveys a feeling of softness or slowness. It's basically the opposite of a glottal stop. It's something long, or deliberate, not short or abrupt.

Japanese English ぽっちゃり chubby のらりのらり wander around aimlessly じゃくり scooping something like sand ほっかり warm breath or steam のそり moving slowly and sluggishly

Ending in ん

Onomatopoeia that end in ん are pronounced with a nasal sound, producing a feeling of "prolonged resonance" or rhythm. If something is echoing or ringing it will usually end in ん. When describing a state of being, not a sound, it usually means something that's continuous.

Japanese English ごほん a strong cough こんこん something hitting something else over and over しん cold deeply penetrating your body じゃぶん strong bubbling ぼーん an explosive fire bursting into flames

Long Vowels

Words that end in long vowels refer to a sense of continuation or longness. Something is happening and it's happening for a long time.

Japanese English ふわ～ a long yawn ぐーぐー loud snoring ざーざー heavy, continuous pouring rain ちゅーちゅー drinking something down little by little のーのー enjoying yourself without caring about what's around you

Grammar

These words are like sprinkling some delicious spice into your language. They don't just add emphasis and color, they add a sense of native understand to your speech. That is, if you know how to use them.

Onomatopoeia can take quite a few grammatical forms and many of them would sound either repetitive or unnatural in English. But in Japanese the repetitiveness is completely normal. Just think of it the way you think of pronouns. In Japanese it makes sense to say the name of the person you're talking about a lot, but in English it sounds strange. Let's look at some examples:

Adverbs + と

朝の太陽が、 おっとりと 雪原を照らしていた。

雪原を照らしていた。 The morning sun was gently shining on a snowy field.

雷が ごろごろと 鳴り始めた。

鳴り始めた。 Thunder started rumbling.

波が岩肌に、 ざざっと 打ち寄せた。

打ち寄せた。 The waves crashed into the rocks.

火が風に煽られ、一瞬、 ぼっと 燃え上がった。

燃え上がった。 The fire was fueled by the wind and momentarily flared up.

ぼつぼつと 降り始めた雨は、すぐに ざーっと 勢いを増した。

降り始めた雨は、すぐに 勢いを増した。 The rain, which had started coming down here and there, suddenly poured down.

Quotation と

みんなに アハハと 笑われた。

笑われた。 Everyone laughed, "Ahaha!"

ゴキブリを見て、思わず「 ギャー ！」 と 叫んだ。

！」 叫んだ。 I saw a cockroach and reflexively screamed, "Gyaa!"

Adverbs + に

シャツが びしょびしょに 濡れてしまった。

濡れてしまった。 My shirt got drenched.

この道、 がたがたに なってるね。

なってるね。 This road is getting bumpy, isn't it?

あの日は、久しぶりに べろんべろんに 酔っ払ったよ。

酔っ払ったよ。 That day I got completely smashed for the first time in a while.

お気に入りのシャツが ぼろぼろに なってしまった。

なってしまった。 My favorite shirt is getting worn out.

レッドブルを飲んだから ぎんぎんに 目が冴えてるよ。

目が冴えてるよ。 I'm wide awake because I drank a Red Bull.

Verb + する

汗で下着が じめじめしていて 気持ちが悪い。

気持ちが悪い。 My underwear is soaked in sweat and it feels gross.

知らないうちに、 うとうとしていた 。

。 Before I knew it, I was nodding off.

私の母は、いつも せかせかしていた 。

。 My mom is always fidgeting.

なんだか、喉が いがいがする 。

。 My throat is a little irritated.

親友が引っ越して、 しょんぼりしている のさ。

のさ。 A close friend of mine is moving and I feel miserable.

Verb + やる

がんがんやっちまおう ぜ。

ぜ。 Let's get moving!

たまにはこうやってみんなで集まって わいわいやる のもいいよね。

のもいいよね。 It's nice to get together with everyone and be raucous like this sometimes.

この問題集なら、 さくさくやれ ちゃいました。

ちゃいました。 These workbook problems have been coming along nicely.

時間がないんだから、 ちゃきちゃきやって くれよ！

くれよ！ We don't have much time, so let's give it our all!

あそこでが やがややってる のが、俺のつれだよ。

のが、俺のつれだよ。 Those guys crowding around over there are my buddies.

Adjectives + の

ほかほかの 肉まんが食べたいなあ。

肉まんが食べたいなあ。 I wanna eat steamy manju.

こんなに さらさらの 砂、初めて見た！

砂、初めて見た！ This is the first time I've seen powdery sand!

彼女は ばりばりの キャリアウーマンだからね。

キャリアウーマンだからね。 She's a hard working career woman.

自分の ぶよぶよの お腹を見ると悲しくなる。

お腹を見ると悲しくなる。 I get sad when I look at my flabby stomach.

その勇者は、とてもかっこいい きんぴかの 剣を持っていました。

剣を持っていました。 The hero had a really cool gilded sword.

Copula だ

もう西瓜は うんざりだ 。

。 I'm already sick of watermelon.

今日の気分は るんるんだ ぜー。

ぜー。 Today I'm feeling ecstatic!

このまくら、 ぐにゃぐにゃだ ぜ？

ぜ？ Is this pillow squishy?

徹夜続きで くたくただ 。

。 I'm exhausted from being up all night.

赤ちゃんの手は ぷくぷくだ 。

。 The baby's hands are cute and chubby.

Spice Up Your Life!

See, that wasn't so bad! You know just about everything there is to know about Japanese onomatopoeia now. So let's go back to those basic verbs you know and add some flavor to them:

起 （ お ） きる To wake up

Japanese English むくむくと起きる to roll out of bed むっくり起きる to jump out of bed (suddenly) のっそり起きる to slowly wake up

寝 （ ね ） る to sleep

Japanese English ぐうぐう寝る to snore fast asleep すやすや寝る to sleep soundly and peacefully うとうと寝る to nod off, to start to fall asleep すうすう寝る to sleep with normal, even breathing

食 （ た ） べる to eat

Japanese English がつがつ食べる to eat greedily or with burning desire ぱくぱく食べる to eat with your mouth flapping open and shut むしゃむしゃ食べる to munch and crunch on something ぺろぺろ食べる to lick (ice cream)

飲 （ の ） む to drink

Japanese English がぶがぶ飲む to guzzle something down quickly ちびちび飲む to take a small sips, trying to make it last ぐびぐび飲む repetitive gulping of alcohol ごくごく飲む to gulp something down

歩 （ ある ） く to walk

とぼとぼ歩く to trudge のろのろ歩く to inch along すたこら歩く to hurry about ちょこちょこ歩く to scurry along, with small steps

見 （ み ） る to see

Japanese English じろじろ見る to rudely stare まじまじ見る to stare directly into someone's face しばしば見る to blink repeatedly ちらちら見る to glance out of the corner of your eye repeatedly

泣 （ な ） く to cry

Japanese English めそめそ泣く to cry uncontrollably しくしく泣く to cry gently, weeping secretly おいおい泣く to cry loudly (an adult crying) ぐすぐす泣く to cry and sniffle

笑 （ わ ） う to laugh

Japanese English にこにこ笑う to smile げらげら笑う to laugh out loud, gaffaw にんまり笑う to smile with satisfaction くすくす笑う to giggle, chuckle quietly

Resources

Was this guide just not enough for you? Here are our reviews of some great English language resources:

An Illustrated Dictionary of Japanese Onomatopoeia Expressions Jazz Up Your Japanese with Onomatopoeia And the ultimate Japanese language onomatopoeia dictionary:

And further reading on sound symbolism in Japanese:

Tofugu's Onomatopeia Dictionary

While researching for this guide I found a serious lack of reliable English language information. I could look up each word I found on trusty Jisho.org, but many of the definitions only supplied a general gloss and usually didn't include many of the mimetic meanings of the words. Japanese language sources were also, surprisingly, few and far between.

That's why I decided to compile a HUGE onomatopoeia dictionary for you all to use. Go crazy, kids!

Weather

Bright and Clear

おっとり Quiet sunlight かっ・かっか Hot sunlight blazing down からっ・からり Low and clear, comfortable temperatures かんかん Strong summer sunlight blazing down ぎらぎら Strong midsummer sun blazing down けろり A cloudy sky becoming bright and clear さんさん（燦燦） Lots of shining sunlight じりじり The sun burning brightly すかっ Clear without a single cloud とっぷり Completely dark

Rain, Snow, and Ice

ごろごろ The sound of thunder rumbling and reverberating こんこん Snow and hail coming down one by one ざーざー Large amounts of continuous rain falling ざーっ・ざっ A light shower coming down for a short time ざーっ・ざっ A short, violent evening shower ざざっ Rain or waves violently pounding しとしと Rain gently falling じとじと・じめじめ Rain continuously falling and soaking things しゃりしゃり Walking through snow or sand ちらほら A small amount of snow scatteringly falling from the sky どんより Rain will fall any moment now はらはら Powdered snow that seems quite light ばらばら Large drops of rain or hail suddenly coming down ぱらぱら A small amount of rain or hail suddenly coming down

Wind, Blowing

ごーっ A strong wind raging さーさー Wind blowing tree leaves together さーっ Wind momentarily blowing ざーっ Wind violently shaking tree leaves さやさや The sound of tree leaves in a gentle breeze さわさわ Plants rustling as the wind blows すーすー Blowing through a crack to create a draft すーっ The feeling of a draft or gentle breeze on the body すかすか Moving through the wind or air そよそよ A gentle breeze quietly blowing そよ・そより Wind lightly, quietly blowing はたはた Cloth fluttering in the wind ばたばた Cloth strongly flapping in the wind ぱたぱた Cloth lightly flapping in the wind ひゅー・ぴゅー The sound of slightly strong wind blowing びゅー The sound of strong wind blowing over ひゅーひゅ Strong wind hitting trees and electric lines びゅーびゅー Strong, continuous typhoon winds ぴゅーぴゅー Strong, continuous, and cold wintry winds ひゅっ・びゅっ・ぴゅっ Something cutting and flying in the wind ひゅるるん Wind sharply whistling through the air びゅんびゅん・ぴゅんぴゅん Continuous, strong wind blowing ふー Wind blowing ぶぉーっ Wind violently blasting or bursting out ぶんぶん Wind heavily roaring overhead わさわさ Grass and leaves stirring or rustling

Temperature

Cold Weather and Feeling Cold

じわじわ The cold gradually piercing your body しん The cold deeply penetrating your body じんじん Your body going numb with cold すーすー Wind blowing through a crack when it's chilly すかすか Feeling chilly from moving air ぞーっ Cold from goosebumps running up your spine ぞくぞく Shivering from the cold or a fever ぞくり Suddenly getting intense shivers ひやっ・ひやり Cold water or air touching your skin ひやひや Your skin feeling cold ひやりひやり Your skin feeling cold over and over りん Tensing up from the cold ぎんぎん Feeling incredibly cold ひんやり Feeling cool きーん Feeling too cold

Hot and Warm

うらら Warm, spring sunlight かっ・かっか Growing hot from fire or anger ぬくぬく・ぬっくり A comfortable, warm place ほかほか A warm body or food ぽかぽか Feeling comfortable warmth ぽかりぽかり Warm from sunlight ほこっ・ほこほこ Warm and feeling good ぽっぽっ Growing heat from within your body ほのぼの Feeling warm inside (your heart or soul) ほやほや So new that steam is rising off it ほわっ Soft and wrapped in warmth ほんわか A warm, comfortable atmosphere むしむし Too much warmth, unpleasantly hot むわっ・もわっ Heat spreading out in front of you むん Suddenly feeling heat むんむ・むんむん Wrapped in oppressive heat もわもわ Steam spreading out in front of you

Water and Liquids

Water drops, Dripping, Falling, and Splashing

ちゅっ・ぴゅっ A small amount of water, forcefully shooting through the air ばしゃっ Water forcefully scattering ぱしゃっ Water gently scattering ばちゃっ A huge splash of water ぱちゃっ A small splash of water はらはら Tears endlessly falling びしゃっ Water violently splashing ぴしゃっ Water sharply splashing びちゃっ Water violently hitting something with a high sound ぴちゃっ A small amount of water splashing ぼしゃっ A momentarily heavy splash ぽたり・ぽたん・ぽつり・ぽつん・ぽたり・ぽたん Water droplets falling on the surface of something ぼたぼた Fairly large water droplets falling continuously ぽたぽた A small amount of water dripping ぼとぼと Fairly large water droplets heavily falling ぽとぽと A small amount of water trickling down ぽろぽろ Tears spilling out over and over

Flowing, Pouring, and Streaming

がばがば A large amount of water streaming forcefully ごーっ A large amount of water echoing from a ways away ころころ Water lightly flowing さーっ・ざーっ A large amount of water pouring out all at once ざーざー A large amount of water streaming continuously さらさら A quiet, shallow brook しゃーしゃー Water lightly flowing continuously じゃーじゃー Water, usually from a faucet, flowing continuously しょろしょろ Just a little bit of water flowing だくだく A large amount of sweat だぼだぼ Pouring a large amount of water of liquids たらたら Sweat or blood falling だらだら Sweat, blood, or oil dripping ちょろちょろ A thin brook trickling どーっ A large amount of water flowing violently all at once どーどー A large amount of water flowing down とくとく Glugging or gurgling from a small mouth どくどく Something, like blood, overflowing out どばどば A large amount of water spurting out all at once どぶどぶ The sound of water or sake being poured どぼどぼ A large amount of liquid being poured continuously とろとろ Something thick flowing

Damp, Oozing, and Running

しっとり Soaked in a moderate amount of moisture じっとり Uncomfortably sweaty じとじと Covered in an uncomfortable amount of rain しとっ・しとり Completely soaked through with a light dampness じとっ・じとり Unpleasant moisture and humidity じみじみ Feeling damp じめじめ Completely soaked in humidity and moisture, sodden and clammy じゅくじゅく Completely soaked and oozing じわじわ Moisture slowly spreading じわっ Liquids soaking and oozing じんわり Soaking slowly with sweat or tears べっとり Deeply stained with sweat べとべと Sticky with sweat or blood

Getting Wet

ぐしょぐしょ・ぐちょぐちょ Clothes getting completely wet ぐっしょり Clothes getting severely wet しとしと Getting wet from light rain or fog ずくずく The uncomfortable feeling of getting wet from rain or water とっぷり・どっぷり Being completely immersed in bath water or liquids びしょびしょ・びちょびちょ Horribly soaked by a large amount of water びしゃびしゃ・びちゃびちゃ Water collecting on the surface ひたひた Lightly soaking in water びっしょり Disgustingly drenched in a large amount of sweat びっちょり Completely drenched in a large amount of water べちゃべちゃ Getting soft from water, mushy and soggy べちょべちょ Unpleasant from excess moisture

Rippling, Bubbling, and Sinking

こぽこぽ Water bubbling gently ごぼごぼ Bubbling loudly ごぽごぽ Water mixing in with the air ざざっ Waves violently breaking ざばっ A large amount of water moving ざぶっ・ざぶん The sound of jumping into water じゃぶん・じゃぼん Water violently flying たぷんたぷん Water being shifted and rippling たぽたぽ The sound of something slapping against water ちゃぷちゃぷ Water sloshing lightly どぶん・どぼん Something heavy falling into water とぷんとぷん The sound of water sloshing gently どんぶりこ Something sinking underwater ひたひた Waves lapping against the shore ぶくぶく Bubbling ぷくぷく Small bubbles forming ぼこぼこ Big bubbles rising, burbling

Fire

Burning

かっか The sun and fire continuously burning hot ちょろちょろ A small flame continuously burning ちろちろ A small flame flickering as it burns とろとろ Simmering for a long time ぱちぱち Strong popping of a fire ぱっぱっ Large flames fiercely burning ぱりぱり Something burned crispy ぶすぶす・ぷすぷす Sputtering of smokey embers ぼーっ・ぼっ A flame flaring up for a moment ぼーぼー Fire burning ぼーん Fire flaring up explosively ぼっぼっ A large flame flaring every once in a while めらめら Suddenly bursting into flames

Earth

Dirt, Sand, and Rocks

がたがた A road that isn't paved ごつごつ Something jagged or rugged, like bare rock ごろごろ Something like a boulder tumbling こんもり The swelling roundness of a mountain ざーっ Forcefully moving sand さくさく Stepping on soft dirt or sand さくっ Sand mixing as you step on it さくりさくり Walking on soft dirt or sand ざっく Roughly grabbing something like sand さらさら Dry sand sifting or falling じゃりじゃり Pebbles or sand crunching together じゃりっ Pebbles hitting each other while they fall ずぶずぶ・ずぼずぼ Sinking into a swamp or a sand そくそく Stepping on sand as you walk でこぼこ Uneven ground べちょっ Smearing mud or paint ぼこぼこ Lots of hollows or holes

Actions and Conditions

Walking and Running

うろうろ Wandering aimlessly えっちらおっちら Walking with great difficulty, barely managing to walk かっぽかっぽ The sound of horse hooves さっさ・さっさっ Feet moving vigorously すたこら Fast paced, eager walking すたこらさっさ Running away without looking back すたすた Briskly walking without looking around せかせか Jogging as if you're in a hurry たー・たたー Lightly taking off into a run たかたか The high pitched footsteps of a child running たじたじ Staggering or tripping over your feet だだーっ Powerfully running through たたたた Running at full speed だだだだ Rushing forward たったかたったか Light running たったっ Walking quickly with long strides ちょこちょこ Scurrying along with short steps てくてく Going a long way, trudging along てけてけ Walking with the same rhythm どっしどっし Heavily stomping with your weight とーん Stamping forcefully with your foot とことこ The small steps of children とっとことっとこ・とっとっ The rhythm of quick, small steps とっと Quickly walking ととと Trotting, jogging どたばた Noisily running around とぼとぼ Stooping as you walk a long way, trudging のさのさ Like you don't care, haughtily のしのし Strong, heavy steps, lumbering のそのそ Hulking and slow, like a slow giant のっしのっし Walking with huge, clumsy strides, like a giant のらりのらり Slowly, aimlessly walking のろのろ・のろりのろり Proceeding at a snail's pace, slow and sluggish ぱかぱか・ぱっぱか The sound of light horse footsteps, clip clop ぱたぱた・ばたばた The pitter patter of footsteps ひょこひょこ Taking a carefree stroll ふらふら・ぶらぶら Wandering around without any goal or purpose よたよた And old, or sick person, weak on their feet よちよち An infant still learning how to walk よぼよぼ And old person shaking while they walk よろよろ Someone who looks like they could collapse at any moment わたわた Restless and unable to calm down

Waking Up and Getting Up

がばっ Suddenly wake up all at once さっ Taking the initiative, and standing up willingly しゃっきり Straight backed しゃん Standing up straight, looking forward すくっ・すっく Vigorously standing upright すたっ Getting up lightly すっ Getting up casually and carefree すとん Lightly jumping down ぬーっ Standing up straight, silently, without doing anything のっそり Slowly, ponderously getting up ぱっ Quickly standing up in reaction to something ばらばら A large number of people standing up and moving one after the other ひょい Lightly getting up ぴん Jumping up and standing erect むくっ・むっく・むっくり Suddenly waking up and getting up むくむく Squirming while getting up

Sleeping and Laying Down

うとうと・うつらうつら Half asleep, nodding off うとっ Suddenly hit with drowsiness こっくりこっくり Your body moving from nodding off くーくー The sound your nose makes when you're fast asleep ぐーぐー・ぐーすか Snoring while you're fast asleep ぐっすり Completely and totally asleep こっくり Completely and totally asleep こてっ Nodding off with your head suddenly drooping ことっ Suddenly losing your strength and collapsing ころっ・ころり Falling asleep from fatigue ごろっ・ごろり・ごろん Lying down and easily falling asleep こんこん（昏昏） Laying down and stretching out すーすー Falling into a long, deep sleep すやすや Normal, even breathing while asleep どたん Peaceful breathing while asleep, sleeping soundly とろっ Feeling tired and heavy とろとろ Looking sleepy とろん Dozing, a light doze

Doing Nothing

ぐーたら Not having the willpower to do anything ごろごろ・ごこりごこり Passing the time doing nothing ごろんごろん Rolling around idly のーのー Happily ignoring your surroundings のんびり To feel at ease, without a job or worries ぶらぶら Living in laziness and doing nothing ぶらり Being bored and doing nothing ぼけっ Living idly and sloppily

Tired

うんざり Disgusted and fed up がっかり Horribly exhausted, losing energy くたくた・ぐたぐた Horribly tired and worn out くたっ・ぐたっ・ぐったり Tired and unable to move げっそり Horribly exhausted and withering away げんなり Weakening from fatigue and heat ずたぼろ Mentally and emotionally exhausted へとへと Completely exhausted and out of breath ぼろぼろ Mentally and emotionally worn out よたよた Staggering and unable to walk straight from exhaustion

Shivering and Shaking

がくがく Joints, like knees, shaking がたがた Shivering violently from coldness or fear がちがち Teeth chattering from coldness or fear ざわざわ Goosebumps from a bad feeling ぞーっ Chills going up your spine from fear ぞくぞく Body shaking from cold, fear, or excitement ぞくっ A sudden chill from cold, fear, or excitement ぞぞ The feeling of unpleasant coldness ぞっ Visually shaking for a moment from fear ひくっ・ぴくっ・ぴくり・ぴくん Body, or part of it, spasming suddenly びくっ Body suddenly, reflexively shaking or trembling ひくひく Part of your body twitching or cramping びくびく・ぴくぴく Part of your body shaking from fear ぴくりぴくり・ぴくんぴくん Continuously shaking for a period of time びりっ・びりん Body going numb from sudden stimulation ぴりっ A sudden shaking movement びりびり Something like glass resonating from an explosion, rattling ぶるっ Your whole body suddenly shaking from the cold ぷるっ Vibrating for a moment ふるふる・ぷるぷる Moved by light shaking or vibrating ぶるぶる Trembling from cold, fear, or anger ぶるり Suddenly shaking and moving ぶるん Waving or shaking something around, like an arm ぶるんぶるん Continuously, intensely shaking わなわな Shaking from cold, fear, or anger

Looking and Glaring

うつらうつら Eyes opening and closing, seeing and not seeing, nodding off かっ Eyes wide open, glaring きっ An intense look in your eyes and attitude きょときょと Looking around restlessly over and over きょろきょろ Turning around looking around restlessly ぎょろぎょろ Big eyeballs shining keenly きょろ Charming eyes opening wide ぎょろ・ぎょろり Glaring intently at someone きょろり Quickly surveying your surroundings ぎらぎら A glint in your eyes / not hiding the lust in your eyes きろっ The sudden movement of your eyes ぎろっ・きろり Big eyes glaring ぎろり Glaring threateningly ぎんぎん Continuously opening your eyes wide ぐっ Keenly staring at your focal point じーっ・じっ Not taking your eyes off your target しげしげ Staring at something over and over, fixedly じとっ・じとり Glaring with jealously and resentment しばしば Blinking repeatedly しょぼしょぼ Blinking wearily after your eyes were open a long time しょぼっ Eyes that are open but can't understand what they see じろじろ Rudely staring at someone over and over じろっ・じろり Coldly glaring at someone じろりじろり Rudely sending and obstinate look at someone ちかちか Strong light irritating your eyes ちらちら Look out of the corner of your eye over and over ちらっ・ちらり Glancing out of the corner of your eye for a moment ちらりちらり Something appearing and disappearing, flickering ちろっ Sharply glancing sideways つくづく Gazing intently, unabashedly とろり・とろん・どろん With eyes dull from drunkenness どんより Dull eyes, losing life ぱちり・ぱちぱち・ぱっちり Looking with big, wide eyes はっきり Seeing the target clearly ぽつっ・ぽつん Squinting at something small ぼんやり Only able to see dim outlines まざまざ Plainly visible before your eyes まじまじ Staring directly into your face

Eating, Chewing, and Licking

あんぐり Taking big bites with a wide, open mouth がしがし Chewing something wildly with your teeth がつがつ Devouring something and giving into your desires がっぷり Biting something deeply and not letting go がばがば Continuing to eat food energetically がぶっ・がぶり Taking a big bite of something かりかり Lightly chewing on something hard with your teeth がりがり Trying to munch something hard with your teeth かりっ・かりり・かりん Biting once into something hard がりっ・がりり Chewing a mouthful of something hard くしゃくしゃ・くちゃくちゃ・ぐちゃぐちゃ Eating loudly and vulgarly ぐちゅぐちゅ Rinsing out your mouth or chewing something こりこり Biting something hard in your mouth こりっ Biting into something hard ごりっ Biting forcefully into something hard さくっ The light feeling when you bite into something しこっ Pleasant crunchiness しゃきしゃき Eating fresh vegetables with lots of texture, like celery じゅるっ Sipping on mostly liquid food しょりしょり Refreshing, light crunchiness じょりじょり Eating something granular and feeling the roughness in your mouth ずるずる Sipping noodles, or something similar, loudly and vulgarly つるつる Sipping noodles, or something similar, lightly ばくっ・ぱくっ A big mouth biting forcefully ばくばく・ぱくぱく・ばくりばくり・ぱくりぱくり Opening and closing a big mouth repeatedly (usually while eating) ぱくり・ぱくん・ぱっくん Eating something with a big mouth and swallowing ばりばり Chewing something hard with your teeth ぱりぱり Eating something crispy ぴちゃぴちゃ・ぺちゃぺちゃ Eating while making unpleasant tongue noises べちゃべちゃ Eating and making vulgar noises ぺろっ・べろっ Licking quickly ぺろり・べろり Eating up all the food べろべろ・ぺろぺろ Running your tongue over something ぺろぺろ Licking exaggeratedly over and over again べろん・ぺろん Licking something exaggeratedly once べろんべろん・ぺろんぺろん Running your tongue over something exaggeratedly, multiple times ぼりっ Loudly biting something hard ぼりぼり Chewing something hard with your teeth ぽりぽり Chewing something hard lightly with your teeth むぐむぐ Chewing something without opening your mouth むしゃむしゃ Eating something swiftly むしゃり Taking one, quick bite むしゃりむしゃり Eating something quickly, continuously むにゃむにゃ Muttering with food in your mouth もぐもぐ Stuffing food in your mouth and chewing over and over もごもご Mumbling while you eat, chewing your words もそもそ Eating something dry and unpleasant もりもり Eating with gusto

Drinking and Getting Drunk

がばがば Continuously drinking alcohol, like beer, a lot がばっ Drinking a lot at one time with a big mouth がぶがぶ Drinking a lot quickly がぷがぷ Drinking quickly and breathing, drink, take a breath, drink, take a breath がぶっ・がぶり Drinking a lot all at once がぶりがぶり Drinking a lot over and over again がぼがぼ Drinking quickly all of a sudden かぽっ・がぼっ Taking a drink in a good mood きゅー・きゅっ Drinking down some strong alcohol くい Lightly drinking something like sake in one gulp ぐい Gulping down something like sake in one breath くいくい Continuously gulping down something like sake ぐいぐい Quickly drinking a lot of something like sake くー・ぐー・ぐーっ・くくー Drinking something in one gulp くっ・ぐっ Gulping down something ぐっぐっ Drinking quickly without stopping for air ぐでんぐでん Getting black out drunk ぐたぐた Getting so drunk you can't even move your body ぐびっ・ぐぶり The gulping noise your throat makes when you drink alcohol ぐびぐび・ぐびりぐびり Repetitive gulping from drinking alcohol こくこく Drinking and tasting delicious flavors ごくごく・ごっくりごっくり・ごぶごぶ Drinking and making gulping sounds with your throat こくっ・こくり・こくん・こっくん Sipping or swallowing lightly ごくっ・ごくり・ごくん・ごっくん Sipping or swallowing and making a gulp sound こくりこくり Sipping or swallowing slowly as if you're savoring the flavors ごくりごくり Drinking continuously with loud gulp, gulp, gulping sounds ごくんごくん Drinking quickly with gulp, gulp, gulping sounds ごっくり Drinking loudly in one breath じゅるっ Swallowing or sipping spit, soup, or a liquid ずーずー Swallowing or sipping soup, or a liquid with higer-pitch loud sound, like sucking soba noodles ずーっ・すすっ・ずずっ Swallowing or sipping soup, or a liquid with loudly, like soba noodles ずるずる Loudly slurping noodles ずるっ A snort of mucus or soup ちびりちびり Slowly sipping alcohol ちゅーちゅー・ちゅるちゅる Sucking a liquid (with a straw) or noodles slowly ちゅっ A short slurp of soup or a liquid ぴちゃぴちゃ Wet licking sound an animal, like a dog, makes ひっく Hiccup, usually of a drunk person ぺちゃぺちゃ Making tongue noises while drinking and/or eating へべれけ Getting super drunk, with slurred thinking and speaking べろべろ・べろんべろん Getting so drunk you can't move your body normally ほろっ・ほろり Getting tipsy, or a comfortable amount of drunkness ぽわん Getting drunk and feeling great, like you're floating れろれろ Getting tongue tied from alcohol or drugs

Puking and Vomiting

がらがら・がらがらぺっ Vomiting and gargling げー・げっ Vomiting food and drinks げーげー・げろげろ Continuously vomiting food and drinks げろっ Vomiting instantly ぷっぷっ Violently vomit in your own mouth ぺっぺっ Forcefully vomit spit and phlegm むかっ・むかむか Feeling the urge to vomit in your stomach, holding it down

Saying and Speaking

うだうだ Constantly making excuses and complaints がたがた Complaining a lot がみがみ A higher status person giving you a lecture or scolding you with strong words or tone がやがや Many people talking loudly きっぱり Saying something clearly with a straightforward expression ぎゃーぎゃー Making complaints loudly and repeatedly きゃんきゃん・きんきん Shouting, crying, or yelling with a high-pitch voice ぐちぐち Making complaints to someone or aloud to yourself ぐずぐず Muttering complaints くだくだ・ぐだぐだ・くどくど Doing or saying the same thing over and over again incessantly ぐたぐた Complaining over and over about things, listing them ぐちゃぐちゃ Talking forever about meaningless things ごじゃごじゃ・ごたごた・ごちゃごちゃ Telling various excuses or complaints こそこそ Whispering secretly ごちょごちょ Saying something into someone's ear ごにょごにょ Muttering so that others can't hear you ざっくばらん Explaining your situation frankly しどろもどろ Making illogical excuses, panicking and making terrible excuses that don't make sense しんみり Saying something sadly with a quiet, calm tone ずけずけ Saying something very straight forward ずばずば・ずばっ・ずばり Saying or pointing out something straight forward, get to the point in a very outspoken manner すらすら Speaking really fluently, smoothly たらたら Complaining about something over and over for a really long time だらだら Talking about or explaining something really unclearly and taking a long time to do it ちゃらちゃら Chatting and being really flirty つけつけ・つかつか Not hesitating to say something, saying whatever you think つべつべ Annoyingly complaining or theorizing at someone ぬけぬけ Saying or making something up to show off はきはき Talking or replying in a clear, friendly manner ばしばし Saying things without holding back or hesitating ぴーちくぱーちく Loudly talking with a high pitched voice ぴしゃっ・ぴしゃり Stubbornly taking one side in an argument ひそひそ Whispering so the people around you can't hear ぶーぶー Whining and complaining a lot ふがふが The air moving through your mouth because your false teeth fell out ぶつくさ・ぶつぶつ Continuously complaining in a low voice ぶつっ・ぶつり Muttering a single word under your breath べちゃくちゃ・ぺちゃくちゃ・ぺちゃぺちゃ Continuously chatting about frivolous things ぺらっ Chatting fluently ぺらぺら Being able to speak a fluent language fluently ぼそり・ぽつり Saying a single word in a low voice ぼそぼそ Speaking with a really low, lifeless voice ぽんぽん Cheerfully showing someone in what you're saying over and over むにゃむにゃ Sleep talking, or mumbling もぐもぐ・もごもご Mumbling, talking without opening your mouth very much やいのやいの Meddling or pressing someone for information that isn't your business れろれろ Getting tongue tied from alcohol or drugs わいわい・わやわや Many people talking loudly

Coughing and Choking

えへん Coughing violently and clearing your throat おほん Clearing your throat for attention かーっ Coughing up phlegm into your mouth from your throat かっ Violently breathing in phlegm or spit ぐぐっ Food or air caught in your throat けほけほ Choking slightly げほげほ・ごほごほ Strong coughing fit こほこほ・こんこん Light cough ごほん Coughing strongly once to clear a blocked throat こほんこほん A light, halting cough ごほんごほん Strongly coughing many time ぜーぜー Breathing through phlegm

Noisy

がやがや A crowd of people gathered together talking noisily きーきー A noisy, shrill voice きゃーきゃー・ぎゃーぎゃー Yelping out of joy or fear ぎゃんぎゃん Making a big fuss, bawling ごたごた Noisy complaining and fussing ざわざわ A bunch of people causing a commotion じゃんじゃか Something like a musical instrument making a lot of noise ちゃんちゃか The playful noise of a banquet or dinner party てんやわんや A large number of people scrambling over each other in total confusion どがちゃが Getting chaotic どさくさ Confusion or a scandal どさどさ A crowd of people jumbling together one after another どたどた The sound of people heavily and recklessly moving around どたばた・どたんばたん Noisily running or stomping around どやどや The sound of many footsteps going in and out of somewhere どんちゃか・どんちゃん Boisterous revelry, the sounds of music and enjoyment at a banquet or party ぱたぱた The sound of busily moving around やいやい An uproar unable to settle down わーわー A raised voice crying or screaming わいわい・わやわや A large group of people making a lot of noise わっ A large group of people stirring all at once わっさわっさ A crowd yelling all at once わんわ Noisiness

Laughing and Smiling

あっはっは・あはは・わはは Cheerfully, loudly laughing あはあは A rude laugh with your mouth open いひひ A wily, laugh with your mouth pulled to the sides うっしっし Chuckling to yourself after you did something well うはうは Laughing in a loud, rude voice after making a large profit うひひ A mean laugh of someone who has a scheme or plan うひょひょ Accidentally letting out a small, happy laugh うふっ A short, low laugh うふふ With your mouth only open a little, as if you know something they don't know えへへ A shy, embarrassed laugh おほほ・ほほほ With a narrow mouth, acting refined かかか Laughter that seems happy, but is despicable がはは A long, hearty, loud laugh からから A hearty laugh, without a care or worry きゃー A shrill laugh きゃっきゃっ The laughter of children playing and having fun ぎゃはは Laughing vulgarly when you encounter something that is good for you or that you can take advantage of くーっ・くっ Trying not to laugh, but laughing anyway くくっ Laughing, but trying to hold back くすくす Laughing quietly, unable to hold it in, chuckling くすっ・くすり Letting out just a little bit of a laugh くすん A light laugh out of your nose くっく・くっくっ Laughing quietly, unable to hold it in けけ A weird, high laugh けたけた High laughter that sounds fake or superficial げたげた Loud, rude laughter げたっ Rudely laughing with a loose expression けっけっ A mocking laugh, making fun of someone けらけら・けろけろ Innocent, high laughter げらげら Openly vulgar laughter, guffaw ころころ Laughing and rolling happily because something is really funny or fun どっ・どっと Many people laughing together loudly にーっ Smiling in an eerie way to imply something にかっ Smiling with your teeth showing にこっ・にこり・にっこり Smiling happily to show that you're happy にこにこ Laughing and smiling brightly, showing gratitude にたっ・にたにた A broad, evil grin, unable to hide your joy にたりにたり Repeatedly smirking smugly にっ Smiling lovingly without making a sound にっこにこ Laughing and smiling with the utmost happiness にやっ Unintentionally smiling and showing your joy にやにや・にやり Giving a faint, cold smile にんまり Smiling with satisfaction because things went your way はっはっ・ははは Laughing without a worry or care ひっひっ・ひひひ Shifty laughing of a bad person or villain ぷー・ふっ・ぷっ Busting out with laughter at something funny ふっふっ A fearless smile ふふ A suppressed laugh, without being able to hide your joy ふふん Laughing through your nose, looking down on someone else へっへっ・へへへ Laughing meanly, triumphantly へらへら A frivolous, superficial laugh ほくほく Laughing or smiling because you gained something, usually money or profit ほっほっ Laughing loudly as if you're out of breath, like Santa's laugh わーっ A sudden, loud laugh

Crying

あーん・うわーん A child crying loudly without considering the people around it あんあん・えんえん A person crying loudly うえんうえん Spinelessly crying or whining with your mouth shaped like the へ character うるうる・うるるん Moved to tears うるっ Unintentionally crying えーん A child crying because it wants attention おーおー A person crying loudly from sadness おいおい An adult crying pitifully おぎゃーおぎゃー A baby bawling ぎゃー・ぎゃーぎゃー An obstinate kid shouting ぐしょぐしょ Lots of tears flowing ぐすぐす Crying and sniffling ぐすっ・ぐすり Sniffling, moved to tears ぐすりぐすり Sniffling and snorting snot くすん・ぐすん・ぐっすん The sound of your nose sniff when you cry しくしく Crying gently, or feeling pitty for someone or something ひーひー Crying out with a pitiful voice ひっく A crying hiccup, similar to hyperventilation ひっひっ Sobbing but trying to hold back べそべそ Crying while grumbling ほろっ・ほろり・ぽろり To shed a single tear out of sympathy or from being emotionally moved ぼろぼろ Crying large tears ぽろぽろ Tears that won't stop falling ほろりほろり・ぽろりぽろり Tears spilling down your cheeks one at a time めーめー Crying like a spineless baby めそめそ Uncontrollably crying with no self respect よよ A woman feebly bursting into tears わーわー・わーん・わんわん Bawling without caring about where you are わっ Suddenly, violently bursting into tears

Angry, Upset, Antisocial

かーっ Getting upset because something didn't go as planned かっ Blowing up out of shame or anger かっか・かっかっ・がみがみ Agitated by anger or dissatisfaction かりかり Quick to take offense, tightly wound かんかん So outraged that you won't listen to reason きっ Sudden hardening of your manner or expression ぞっ Feeling unpleasant つっけんどん Acting curt or unfriendly つん・つんつん Facing away disgruntled つんけん Acting unsociable or crabby とげとげ A mean attitude, expression, or tone of voice ぷい Facing away without responding ぷー Blowing your cheeks out with anger or unhappiness ぶすっ・ぶすり Blowing your cheeks out with anger or unhappiness, looking sullen ぷっ・ぶりっ・ぷりぷり Blowing your cheeks out with anger or unhappiness ぷん Blowing your cheeks out and refusing to speak ぷんぷん Opening showing your anger or displeasure ぼさっ Acting unsociable, unfriendly むーっ Showing your anger or displeasure むかっ・むかむか Anger suddenly welling up, surge of anger むしゃむしゃ Losing your calm and getting upset often むすっ Pouting silently むっ Being angered by someone's words or actions むっつり Ignoring social graces and being blunt and curt むらむら Anger coming up from the bottom of your stomach, anger welling up

Not Feeling Well

かくっ・がくっ Suddenly losing some of your energy がっかり・がっくり Discouraged by disappointing results かくん・かっくん A little disappointed because your hopes didn't come true がびーん Hit with disappointment and shock ぎゃふん Not being able to talk back at all after being accused of something, unable to argue ぎゅー Knocked down (emotionally) after being accused of something くしゃっ Losing motivation and hope ぐったり Completely exhausted from fatigue or sickness くよくよ Worrying about the past or trivial things げっそり Losing weight or getting sick from sickness or anxiety しおしお Disappointed by your own failures しゅん・しょぼしょぼ・しょぼっ Not energetic, depressed しょぼん Depressed, losing energy and willpower しょんぼり Depressed and feeling lonely しんみり Lonely and quiet, solemn すごすご Leaving somewhere depressed, dejected とぼとぼ Walking depressed, trudging along とほほ Being miserable and pitiful へたへた Suddenly losing strength and having to sit down へなへな Losing strength and having to sit down よぼよぼ Mentally weak, physically growing old

Delighted

いそいそ Happy and lighthearted うきうき Happy, cheerfully lighthearted, and full of hope うしうし Happily and skillfully going about your business うはうは Full of smiles and happiness きゃぴきゃぴ Bringing out the happy youthfulness in a bitter woman ほいほい Happily carefree and without much thought ほくほく Openly happy and pleased with yourself らんらん Feeling exhilarated and jumping for joy るんるん Feeling exhilarated, euphoric, and humming happily わくわく Your heart fluttering from joy or anticipation

Surprised

あわわ A reflexive sound made when noticing something suddenly うぎゃー A surprised scream or shriek がーん Receiving a psychologically intense shock がびょーん Horribly, exaggeratedly shocked ぎく・ぎくっ・ぎくり・ぎくん Someone suddenly touched on a secret of yours ぎっくん Suddenly taken by surprise and off balanced きゃー・ぎゃー・きゃーきゃー・きゃっ・ぎゃっ Letting out a scream of surprise, fear, or pain ぎょえー Completely amazing and surprised ぎょぎょ・ぎょっ Something suddenly opening your eyes きょとっ・きょとん Understanding the situation with your eyes wide open ぐっ Receiving a strong blow to your heart げー・げっ Observing unexpected things だー Surprised or dumbfounded どきっ・どきり・どっきり Heart racing from excitement, fear, or anticipation ぱちくり Blinking rapidly from surprise はっ Suddenly noticing something and being surprised by it ひー A cry of excitement, fear, or pain ぴくっ・びくり Trembling from a momentary fear ひっ Holding your breath out of shock ひっく Terribly surprised びっくら・びっくり Surprised by something sudden or unexpected ひやっ・ひやり Momentarily feeling like something bad is about to happen

Flustered, Impatient, and Unable to Calm Down

あくせく（齷齪） Feeling like you don't have enough time あたふた Running around in a hurry あっぷあっぷ Struggling and gasping for breath, about to drown あわあわ Losing time or a grasp on your senses いそいそ Exhilarated and enthusiastic いらいら Unable to do things at your own pace, rushed and in a hurry うきうき Excited because of joy or hope, cheerful うずうず・むずむず Itching to do something, impatient to start something おたおた Flustered or panicked by something suddenly, shocked speechless おどおど Hesitating or faltering with nervousness or anger おろおろ Unable to move from surprise or anxiety がさがさ Noisy and unable to calm down ぎゃっ Shouting unintentionally in confusion きろきろ An expression lacking calmness or stability じたばた Impatiently squirming しどもど Confused and incoherent しどろもどろ The subject and words spoken are unclear, incoherent じりじり Running out of patience せかせか Feeling impatient and that you're being hurried せこせこ・こせこせ Making a big deal out of nothing そそくさ Feeling like you're in a hurry to finish そわそわ Fidgeting from anxiety ちゃかちゃか Unable to steady your movements or actions どきどき Your heart beating faster from worry or fear どぎまぎ Flustered that someone sees right through you どたばた Noisily rushing around doing things ばたばた Hurrying around getting things done はらはら Nervous or worried about something, on edge びくびく Trembling from anxiety or anger やきもき Unable to calm down from worry or impatience わくわく Excited from anticipation, pleasure, or happiness わさわさ Unable to concentrate or calm down

Hesitating and Faltering

いじいじ Unsure of your behavior or actions うじうじ Unable to be proactive or make a decision おずおず Faltering or hesitating from anger or nervousness ぐだぐだ Acting slow out of unwillingness or laziness くよくよ Restlessness from worries or regrets くらくら Unsure of what decision to make due to temptation ぐらぐら Unsure due to weak resolution, indecisiveness たじたじ Hesitating because someone is coercing you まごまご Losing your head because you don't know what to do もじもじ Unable to make decisions because of embarrassment or shyness

Thinking and Feeling

うっとり Being fascinated by something beautiful, spellbound きゅーん Feeling a tightness or pressure in the your chest from sadness or grief きゅん A tightening in your chest for a moment from strong feelings さめざめ Sorrowful, bitter feelings じーん Slowly becoming impressed, moved, or touched by something じーっ Thinking deeply and quietly じん Being so touched by something that you're almost moved to tears しんみ Feeling pity and a little sad for someone ぞっ Strongly moved by something and that feeling runs through your body つくづく Believing something from the bottom of your heart つらつら Thinking about something for a long time ぴーん Suddenly thinking of an idea ぴぴっ・ぴん Strong instincts or intuition ほろり Feeling sympathy for someone むくむく A feeling or idea that suddenly came up もやもや Worrying or wondering what to do

Hurt and Pain

いがいが An itchiness or tickle in your throat いらいら・ひりひり An irritation in your throat or on your skin from pain or hot food うずうず Feeling a continuous dull pain がんがん Pain or noise echoing in your head きりきり A stomachache with sharp pains ぎんぎん Head constantly aching badly ぐさぐさ Receiving a blow to the heart from cold words ぐさっ・ぐさり The psychological wounds from someone's words ごろごろ The ache of something getting in your eye じーん The sensation of pain or cold しく Stabbing pain from a bug しくしく Continuous spasms of dull pain しくりしくり Prickling pain over and over じん Numb or sleeping limbs じんじん Continuous pain and numbness from the afflicted area ずきずき・ずんずん Throbbing, grinding pain ずきっ・ずきり・ずきん Sudden, violent, traveling and throbbing pain ずきんずきん Continuous throbbing pain ちかちか Flashing pain in your eyes ちくちく A stabbing pain like needles over and over, prickling ちくっ・ちくり・ちくん A sudden stabbing pain from a needle or a bug ちりちり A cut or skin that feel like it's burning どきんどきん・どっきどっき・どっきんどっきん Violent throbbing びーん Numbness or itchiness spreading through your body ぴきぴき Twitching and on edge ひりっ・ぴりっ Feeling a sudden itch, pain, or hot taste びりびり・ぴりぴり Feeling a continued pain or irritation ひりり Feeling a pain from something for a moment, tingling, irritation びりり・ぴりり Numb from a momentary stimulus, tingling, stinging むずむず・もぞもぞ Feeling itchy like you were bitten by, or have bugs on you

Personality and Disposition

Unconcerned and Composed

あっけらかん Without any hesitation おっとり So calm that it seems like time is passing slower than normal おめおめ Without hesitation, calmly がっちり Shrewdly, being pushy けりけろ・けろっ・けろり As if nothing happened, nonchalantly さばさば Without attachment or seriousness しゃーしゃー Shamelessly not feeling that embarrassing things are actually embarrassing しらっ・しれっ Acting as if something is not a big deal at all ずかずか Being nosy, acting and saying things without any hesitation ずけずけ Saying something that could hurt someone else, blunt ちゃっかり Acting shrewd but still well liked, cheeky つけつけ Saying and doing things without reserve, rude ぬくぬく Doing well on your own, carefree and successful ぬけぬけ Acting like you didn't do (something negative) and it is obvious to other people, shamelessly のーのー Without any worries or concerns のこのこ Showing up without any knowledge or understanding of what is going on のほほん Carefree, without worries or concerns のんびり Mentally and physically relaxed はっきり Showing your feelings very clearly やいやい Loudly bothering other people for things, pestering people

Energetic

ぎんぎん Full of energy and very mobile しゃきしゃき Dealing with tasks quickly and efficiently しゃき・しゃっきり Feeling brisk and lively in both body and mind しゃん Both your movement and thoughts are logical and stable しゃんしゃん Energetically going about your daily tasks すくすく Children growing up without complications ちゃきちゃき Doing things quickly, cheerfully, and efficiently ぴかぴか・ぴっかぴか A new life shining with hope and happiness ぴちぴち Young and healthy, or a fresh, lively fish ぴんぴん Energetic and lively ぶいぶい Energetic and powerful もりもり Bursting with energy and motivation

Physique and Figure

Fat and Robust

ころころ Plump and overweight ずんぐり Short and overweight ずんぐりむっくり Getting fat, gaining weight, swelling だぶだぶ Fat, loose and baggy でっぷり Getting fat or flabby around your stomach and waist でぶでぶ Shamefully getting fatter ぶくんぶくん Getting big and flabby ぶよぶよ Getting way too fat and soft and flabby ぽちゃっ A chubby face and body ぼちゃぼちゃ Getting chubby and cute ぽちゃぽちゃ Chubby, just a little fat ぽっちゃり Lovely chubby and cute ぼってり Heavy and fat ぽってり Chubby and adorable ぽてっ So fat it looks like your head is just riding your body ぼてぼて Having undesirable fat on your body ぽてぽて Plump like a baby with supple skin むちっ・むちむち・むっちり Supple skin and plenty of flesh in all the right places がしっ・がっしり・がっちり A study body or bone structure ぼんきゅぼん Nice proportions: ぼん big breasts きゅ tight waist ぼん big butt もりもり Bulging muscles, looking strong

Thin

がりがり So thin that you can see their bones, skin and bones すらっ・すらり Long, slender, and well proportioned ひょろっ・ひょろひょろ・ひょろり・ひょろん Lanky, thin and tall ほっそり Slim and slender figure

Moving and Changing

Advancing and Moving

がーっ Forcefully moving ががっ Advancing with great force がくりがくり Suddenly moving and then going back がくんがくん Drastic, jerking motions がんがん Pushing forward, without paying any attention to your surroundings ぐいぐい Pushing forward, as if you're being pulled ぐんぐん Gradually speeding up while advancing さくさく Things going forward without delay さっさっ Moving on willingly, without any hangups さらさら Things moving forward quickly and smoothly じゃんじゃん Things moving forward and making progress じりじり Slowly approaching someone ずい Entering the inside of a house unreservedly すいすい Feeling comfortable moving forward without resistance, unhindered すーっ Quiet things moving forward ずかずか Rudely entering into someone else's area or space すっ Moving quickly and quietly ずっ Things pressing forward even more すっすっ Things advancing without difficulty ずっずっ・ずんずん Things strongly pressing forward すらすら・するする Smoothly advancing without delay すんなり To calmly advance without resistance そろそろ Gradually progressing to a certain state だー Running swiftly, with force たったっ Flying through the minor details だっだっ Moving forward, maintaining force ついつい Advancing against your better judgement つかつか Striding toward something without hesitation てきぱき A matter that progresses quickly どしどし Moving purposefully and proactively どんどこ Moving something forward without hesitating とんとん Things continuing to go well for a while どんどん・ばんばん Forcefully moving forward without hesitating ほいほい Advancing willingly ぽちぽち・ぼつぼつ Steadily progressing, gradually めきめき・めっきり Visably making rapid progress

Falling and Dropping

かたん・かたり Something light and hard falling or dropping がたん・がたり Something heavy suddenly falling or dropping がらがら Heavy things falling or collapsing one after another ことり・ことん Light things falling or collapsing ごとり・ごとん Heavy things falling or collapsing すとん Falling straight down たらたら Liquid rolling down, dripping ちゃぽん Something falling into water ちゃぽっ Something falling and hitting water ちらちら Snow or flowers fluttering as they fall とーん Something falls and bounces どかっ A big lump or chunk of something falling all at once どかどか Something heavy continuously falling どかり Something heavy falling or hitting どさっ・どさり・どさん・どたり・どたん A big, heavy thing falling all at once どさどさ Heavy things falling one after another どすん A huge, heavy thing falling and crashing ばさっ・ばさり Something like a vacant body falling ぱさっ・ぱさり Something like an unrolled paper falling ばたっ Something heavy forcefully falling はたり・ぱたり Something light falling ばっばっ Lots of things forcefully scattering はらっ Paper or leaves scattering ぱらっ Rain or leaves thinly falling はらはら Tears or petals falling one by one ばらばら Finely falling, falling in pieces ぱらぱら Rain, hail, or leaves falling sparsely はらり・ぱらり Something light falling ばらり Falling while feeling heavy or important ぼたっ・ぽたっ・ぼたり・ぽたり・ぽとっ A drop of water or a liquid falling ぼたぼた・ぽとぽと Large drops of liquid rolling or trickling down one by one ぽたぽた・ぽとぽと Small drops continuously falling ぼたん・ぽたん Drops of water falling from a high place ぽちゃっ Something that seems to break when it falls ぽちゃん Something small falling into liquid ぽつり A single drop of rain falling ぽてっ Dropping something carelessly ぼとり・ぼとん A thing or liquid dropping heavily ぽとり・ぽとん A thing or drop of water dropping lightly ぽとりぽとり Falling one by one after a pause ほろっ・ほろり A single tear spilling over and falling ぼろっ・ぼろり A thing inadvertently falling ほろほろ Tears or drops of water flowing ぼろぼろ Something granular falling in large quantities ぽろぽろ Tears or grains of rice spilling and falling all over ほろりほろり Tears, flowers, or leaves continuously falling ぽろりぽろり Tears or liquids falling in intervals ぽろん Something falling too quickly

Breaking and Bending

がくり・がっくり Suddenly bending strongly back and forth かくん・かっくん Suddenly bending back and forth and disconnecting ぎくしゃく Sharply bending back and forth ぎくっ・ぎくり Something suddenly bending back and forth ぎくん Sudden, violent bending back and forth ぐきり Breaking or spraining a leg, breaking a stick ばきっ・ばきん Something hard and slim suddenly breaking ぱきっ・ぱきん Something thin breaking ばきばき Something dry forcefully breaking ぱきぱき Thin things breaking one after another ぱしぱし Something hard and slim bending back and forth ぱちり Something hard breaking びしっ・びしり Something small and thin folding or breaking ぴしっ A small break or crack ぼきっ・ぼきり A small cylindrical thing breaking ぽきっ・ぽきり A hard, light, cylindrical thing breaking ぼきぼき Hard cylindrical things breaking over and over ぽきぽき Light cylindrical things breaking over and over ぼきん A hard cylindrical thing completely breaking ぽきん A light cylindrical thing completely breaking ぼくっ Strong hitting or breaking ぽちぽち Dead branches or twigs breaking one after another ぽっきり Snapping cleanly

Shaking and Swaying

うつらうつら Swaying slowly がたがた Something heavy swaying unstably がくん A sudden, violent shake ぐずり A heavy, shaking movement くらくら Shaking unstably from dizziness ぐらぐら Huge, irregular, continuous shaking くらっ・くらり A sudden, big shake ぐらっ・ぐらり A sudden, huge shake for just a moment くらりくらり Repeatedly shaking in a big way ぐらりぐらり Huge, slow shaking movements ぐりぐり Rubbing your elbow into someone's shoulders ごとごと The even swaying of a train car じわじわ Swaying in small degrees たぽたぽ Liquid sloshing in a container たぷたぷ Something big swaying だらりだらり Something long swaying loosely ちょろちょろ Shaking little by little, trembling とぷんとぷん Water in a container swaying びろびろ Flicking cloth or your tongue ふよふよ Something light quietly swaying ふらふら Shaking from loss of your body's equilibrium ぶらぶら Something hanging and swaying, dangling ぷらぷら Something light swaying in the wind ふらりふらり Slowly swaying in a big way ぶらりぶらり Heavily, continuously slowly swaying ぷらりぷらり Lightly, continuously, slowly swaying ぶらん Heavily hanging down and dangling ぶらんぶらん Dangling, or swinging legs back and forth ぶるぶる・ぶるる・ぶるん Vibrating and shaking ぷるる・ぷるん Vibrating a little ぷるんぷるん Trembling slightly へらへら Fluttering ぺらぺら Flipping something thin, usually pages ぽよぽよ Shaking flexibly ゆさゆさ Something large swaying ゆさり Something large swaying ゆさりゆさり Something large swaying over and over ゆっさゆっさ Something big and heavy swaying ゆらっ One, huge sway or shaking movement ゆらゆら Shaking over and over ゆらり Shaking lightly and slowly, once ゆらりゆらり Loosely swaying over and over よろりよろり Legs swinging while crossed

Cutting

ざくざく Chopping the stalks off of vegetables さくっ・さくり・さっくり Cutting food with a sharp knife ざくっ・ざくり・ざっくり Deeply plunging a blade into something ざぐり・ざっく Hollowing something out by cutting into it じょきじょき Cutting through thick cloth with scissors じょきり Cutting cloth once with scissors すかすか Cutting cleanly with a sharp blade ずきずき Forcefully cutting something ずたずた Something that's been cut many times, making it look worn or ragged すっぱり・すぱっ・すぱり Completely cut off with a sharp blade すとん Easily cut down ずばずば Relentlessly cutting with a blade ずばり Cutting through something at once ずばりずばり Viciously cutting many times ちょきちょき Cutting paper or plants with scissors ちょきん・ちょっきり Completely cutting something off with scissors ばさり・ばっさり Exaggeratedly cutting something off with a blade ばっさばっさ Cutting people down one by one with a sword ばらり Cutting a thread, group, or joint ぴちっ Suddenly splitting open from being cut ぷすり Cutting something like a thread or from a group びちっ Suddenly, completely cut off ぷちっ Suddenly, easily cutting something off ぶちぶち Easily cutting something like soba ぷっつ Something suddenly coming apart of disconnecting ぷつっ Belt, rope, correspondence or suddenly being cut ふっつり Severing ties with something or someone, once and for all ぷっつり Completely cutting yourself from a group or a relationship ぶっつん Violently severing ties ぷっつん Being cut apart by something sharp ぶつぶつ Cutting something into small pieces ぷつぷつ Things getting torn to shreds ぶつり・ぶつん Suddenly, completely cutting ぷつり・ぷつん Speech or correspondence suddenly being cut off ぽっきり Cleanly cut, or interrupted ぽつぽつ Cut into small pieces or interrupted ぽつり Suddenly cut down the middle

Ripping and Tearing

ずたずた Tearing to pieces over and over ばりっ Something hard breaking or tearing ぱりっ Something thin breaking or tearing ぱりぱり Strong ripping and tearing ぱりぱり Cloth or paper forcefully being torn びっ・ぴっ・びびっ Forcefully tearing or peeling びりっ・ぴりっ Forcefully tearing cloth or paper びりびり・ぴりぴり Continuously splitting cloth or paper べりっ Tearing and peeling at once ぺりっ Forcefully tearing something thin べりべり Ripping something thick over and over ぺりぺり Ripping something thin over and over ぼろぼろ Little tears in cloth めりっ・めりめり Something brittle ripping, tearing, or breaking

Sticking

ちょこん・ちょん Small things sticking together ぴたっ・ぴたり・ぴったり・ぴっちり Completely stuck together with no gaps ぴたぴた Sticking on after another びたり On one side ぴたん・ぴたんぴたん Sticking a stamp to something by pressing it down べたっ Glued and sticking ぺたっ・ぺたん Sticking completely to a flat surface べたり Clinging together in a lump ぺたり Sticking from being pressed down べたん Sticking firmly ぺちょっ Lightly pasting and sticking ぺったり Lightly sticking to one surface ぺったんぺったん Sticking and separating べっとり Sticking something to one side ぺっとり Sticking something mucousy to one side

Piercing and Stabbing

ぐさぐさ Deeply stabbing with a blade over and over ぐさっ・ぐさり Stabbing deeply once with a blade ずばっ Being pierced by an arrow or a spear ずばりずばり Sharply stabbing in your vitals or your core ずぶずぶ Something soft being pierced ずぶっ・ずぶり Being stabbed at the base with a blade ちくちく・ちくりちくり Repeatedly stabbed with something like needles ちくっ・ちくり・ちくん Stabbed once with something like a needle つん Lightly poked once つんつん Lightly poked over and over ぶすっ・ぷすっ・ぶすり・ぷすり Stabbing something soft ぶすぶす・ぷすぷす Stabbing over and over ぶすりぶすり Continuously stabbing with a blade ぶつっ Sudden, forceful stabbing ぶっつり A blade forcefully stabbing ぶつぶつ Making a hole using something sharp over and over ぷつぷつ Making lots of hole with something sharp ぶつり・ぷつり Stabbing with something sharp or tapered

Bending, Folding, and Crumpling

うねうね While bending up, down, and side to side かくんかくん Repeatedly, lightly folding back and forth かっくり Suddenly lightly bending something がっくり Suddenly strongly bending something ぎくぎく Bending awkwardly and jerkily くい Suddenly bending something くいくい Lightly bending two or three times くにゃ・ぐにゃ・くにゃり・ぐにゃり Part of something suddenly bending くにゃくにゃ・ぐにゃぐにゃ Soft and freely bending くねくね Bending back and forth like it's shaking ぐんにゃり Bending or twisting easily ジグザグ Bending in the shape of a Z, literally "zigzag" in English しゃなりしゃなり Your body moving flexibly しなしな・しなっ Bending and warping しんなり Something soft folding なよなよ Weakly bending, delicate へこへこ Weakly bending easily, pliable

To Be Continued…

(This guide is constantly being updated. Make sure you check back for more!)