みなさん、こんにちは！Today’s topic is オノマトペ (Onomatopoeia). As you work through your Japanese language learning journey, there will a time where you feel your ‘textbook Japanese’ is not enough.
Using オノマトペ can take your Japanese to another level, and allows you to add some flare, making you sound like a native speaker!
What is オノマトペ?
オノマトペ (onomatopoeia) are words that represents sounds. In Japanese, オノマトペ can represent things such as…
🌟 Animal and human sounds
🌟 Actual sounds
🌟 Describe conditions, movements, or feelings etc
Expressing How You Speel
You can express how one sleeps by adding various onomatopoeia to 眠(ねむ)る
うとうと眠る = dozing off
ぐっすり眠る = sleep soundly
ぐーぐー眠る = sleep noisily (snoring)
すやすや眠る = sleep peacefully
Expressing How You Laugh (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
You can express how one smile/laugh by adding various onomatopoeia to 笑(わら)う
くすくす笑う = chuckling
にこにこ笑う = smile cheerfully
げらげら笑う = laughing heartily
にやにや笑う = smirking
If you would like to know more about onomatopoeia for laughing and smiling, check this article!
Animal Sounds
オノマトペ can also express animal sounds.
These are some examples…
いぬ / Dog = bow wow = わんわん (wan wan)
ねこ / Cat = meow = にゃー (nyā)
ひつじ / Sheep = baa = メー (mē)
にわとり / Rooster = coka-a-doodle-doo = コケコッコー (kokekokkō)
うし/ Cow = moo = モー
ぶた / Pig = Oink = ブー (bū)
Physical / Emotional State
オノマトペ is used to express how a person feels physically or emotionally. Some examples include…
どきどき = excited / nervous
いらいら = irritated
おなかが ぺこぺこ = starving
おなかが ぱんぱん = you are full and about to burst
わくわく = excited
あたまが くらくら = dizzy
Describe Action
You can also オノマトペ to describe action. Some examples include…
がつがつ食べる: eat greedily
ぺろりと食べる: eat in no time
もりもり食べる: eat heartily
むしゃむしゃ食べる: munch
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