In this lesson you will learn all about Japanese onomatopoeia which are words that resemble sounds. Some examples in English are splash, bang, zap and beep and you will learn how similar words are used in daily Japanese conversation. Check out the dialogue and grammar notes below.

Main Dialog 1 – Daily Japanese Onomatopoeia (Japanese)

B: 雷もゴロゴロ鳴ってる。ハラハラする。

A: え?どうしたの?大丈夫?

B: 天気が悪くなると頭がクラクラするんだ。

A: ちょっと休んだら?

B: うん、そうする。

Main Dialog 1 – Daily Japanese Onomatopoeia (Pronunciation)

B: Kaminari mo gorogoro natteru. Hara hara suru.

A: E? Dōshita no. Daijōbu?

B: Tenki ga waruku naru to atama ga kurakura surun da. A: Chotto yasundara?

B: Un, sō suru.

Main Dialog 1 – Daily Japanese Onomatopoeia (English)

B: The thunder is rumbling too. I feel kinda nervous. A: Eh? What’s the matter? Are you OK?

B: When the weather turns bad my head gets dizzy. A: Why don’t you have a rest?

B: Yup, I’ll do that.

About Japanese Onomatopoeia

In this lesson we are studying Japanese onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeia are words that resemble sounds such as splash, bang and beep. Japanese also has onomatopoeia and they are called 擬音語 Giongo.

There is a huge number of Japanese giongo and they are frequently used in casual daily conversation. Therefore they are worth learning as they will improve your comprehension and make you sound more natural when speaking.

However, because there are so many giongo, it would be impossible to teach them all in a single lesson. Also, students of Japanese sometimes feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of them. However, if you get regular listening and speaking practice in Japanese, you can eventually start to pick them up naturally.

You’ll notice a common pattern with most giongo which is a pair of repeating sounds las below (although there are exceptions):

コロコロ Korokoro The sound of something rolling

Another thing you might notice is that some giongo are written in Katakana and others Hiragana. There aren’t any strict rules on this but generally speaking, Hiragana is used for softer sounds and Katakana for harder sounds.

Also, although it’s not strictly necessary to learn the following grammar rules, giongo are divided up into five different types.

Here are the five types and examples:

These are words that resemble sounds made by inanimate objects and nature as mentioned before.

ゴロゴロ – Gorogoro – Rumbling (thunder)

コロコロ – Korokoro – Sound of rolling

ガタガタ – Gatagata – Rattling

ガチャ – Gacha – Sound of a door closing or similar sound

These describe conditions and states of things.

クラクラ – Kurakura    – Feeling dizzy

すべすべ – Subesube – Smooth to the touch

フワフワ – Fuwafuwa – Fluffy

もちもち – Mochimochi – Chewy, sticky, squidgy

These are animal and human sounds.

ワンワン – Wanwan – Woof

ニャン – Nyan – Meow

コケコッコー – Kokekokkoo – Cock-a-doodle-doo

ゲロゲロ – Gerogero – Croak (frog)

ガオー – Gaoo – Roar (lion, tiger etc.)

These describe movements and motions.

ノロノロ – Noronoro – Move very slowly

ぐっすり – Gussuri – Sleep soundly

ブルブル – Buruburu – To shiver

These describe feelings and emotions.

ウキウキ – Ukiuki – Excitement

ワクワク – Wakuwaku – Excitement

もやもや – Moyamoya – To feel uneasy or gloomy

Random phrase of the week

出た！ Deta! Oh here we go again…

Most students of Japanese will immediately recognize 出た deta as the verb which means to leave, exit or go out of something. However, there is deeper meaning.

Deta can be used as a negative criticism or a tease in response to something someone says repeatedly. In this scenario it means something like “oh here we go again” or “Oh no, not that again” or “Again?”.

So if someone starts talking about their favorite conspiracy theory again you can say:

出た！

Or your uncle starts talking about his health problems for the 100th time:

出た！

Or your mum starts bugging you to do the chores yet again:

出た！

Of course this isn’t very polite so only use this with your friends and family members.