Onomatopoeia in Japanese || Gitaigo, Giseigo & More

Q: What is onomatopoeia in Japanese?

Onomatopoeia in Japanese refers to words that imitate sounds or describe states of being. These words are divided into categories, including sounds made by living beings, inanimate objects, and expressions of feelings or conditions.

Q: Can I book Japanese classes with LTL?

Yes! You can book online Japanese lessons on our platform Flexi Classes . If you’d prefer to study Japanese abroad, check out our immersion programs in Tokyo .

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JAPANESE ONOMATOPOEIA

Simply put, Onomatopoeia is the formation of a word from a sound.

These sound words bring life to our conversation. While most languages have onomatopoeic words, Japanese onomatopoeia are much more common.

TYPES OF ONOMATOPOEIA

There are thousands of onomatopoeias in Japanese, but we can divide them into 3 main types or categories.

・Giseigo (擬声語) – Animal and human sounds

・Giongo (擬音語) – Sounds made by inanimate objects and nature

・Gitaigo (擬態語) – Describe the condition and states

INTRODUCTION TO GISEIGO

擬声語
Giseigo

Giseigo are pretty simple and straightforward. They are only used for voice-related sounds made by living things such as animals and humans. Some of them may sound similar to English onomatopoeia, others may sound quite different.

わんわん	Wan wan	Woof (Dog)
ぶーん	Buun	Buzz (Bee)
もーもー	Moo moo	Moo (Cow)
めーめー	Mee mee	Baa (Sheep)
にゃん	Nyan	Meow (Cat)
あはは	Ahaha	Hahaha (Laugh)
うわーん	Uwaan	Baby or Child crying loudly
うぎゃー	Ugyaa	A surprised scream

INTRODUCTION TO GITAIGO

擬態語
Gitaigo

Gitaigo are slightly different from the other 2 types of Japanese onomatopoeia.

Rather than mimicking a sound to describe something, these words describe conditions, feelings, or states.

Gitaigo is probably the most unique type of onomatopoeia in the Japanese language.

びしょびしょ	Bisho bisho	Completely wet by a large amount of water
がーん	Gaan	Feeling shocked
べとべと	Beto beto	Feeling sticky with lots of sweat
ひんやり	Hinyari	Feeling cool
つるつる	Tsuru tsuru	Slippery
さらさら	Sara sara	Something feels very smooth
はらはら	Hara hara	Feeling anxious and worried about something
ぐちゃぐちゃ	Gucha gucha	Messy condition, especially used for desk or room

WRITING JAPANESE ONOMATOPOEIA

There are no specific rules regarding onomatopoeia writing. But in most cases, Japanese onomatopoeia are written using either hiragana or katakana.

In mangas, you see both hiragana and katakana are used to write these words. So, this is another reason why learning both components is really important to understand the emotion of the Japanese language.

Some onomatopoeia have kanji as well. But you’ll rarely see them used even though they do exist. Here’s what it looks like:

燦燦(さんさん)	San san	Lots of sunlight
昏昏(こんこん)	Kon kon	Long deep sleep
齷齪(あくせく)	Akuseku	Feeling like you don’t have enough time
煌煌(こうこう)	Kou kou	Bright and shining condition
凸凹(でこぼこ)	Dekoboko	Uneven ground condition
轟轟(ごうごう)	Gou gou	The sound of the running train

USING ONOMATOPOEIA IN SENTENCES

Onomatopoeia is useful when you know how to use them. Onomatopoeia can take quite a few grammatical forms. Let’s see some examples.

AS A VERB

PATTERN

Verb + する

あの人はいつもニコニコしているね！	Ano hitowa itsumo nikoniko shiteirune	That person is always smiling!
今日は家でだらだらしました。	Kyouwa iede daradara shimashita	I was being lazy at home today.
床がつるつるしているから気を付けて！	Yuka ga tsurutsuru shiteiru kara kiwo tsukete	Be watchful because the floor is very slippery!

AS A ADJECTIVE

PATTERN

Adjective + の

でこぼこの道を車で運転する。	Dekoboko no michiwo unten shimasu	I drive my car on a very rough road
さらさらの髪になりたい。	Sarasara mo kamini naritai	I want very smooth hair.

AS A ADVERB

PATTERN

Adverb + と

雷がごろごろと鳴り始めた。	Kaminari ga gorogoro to narihajimeta	Thunder started rumbling.
雨がざーざーと降っている。	Ame ga zaazaa to hutte iru	Rain is heavily pouring down.

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FAQs

What is onomatopoeia in Japanese?

Onomatopoeia in Japanese refers to words that imitate sounds or describe states of being.

These words are divided into categories, including sounds made by living beings, inanimate objects, and expressions of feelings or conditions.

What are the main types of onomatopoeia?

Japanese onomatopoeia is divided into three main categories:

– 擬音語 (giongo) for sounds,

– 擬態語 (gitaigo) for describing actions and states

– 擬声語 (giseigo) for mimicking animal and human sounds.

Can Japanese onomatopoeia describe emotions or feelings?

Yes, many onomatopoeic words in Japanese describe emotions or feelings, such as わくわく (wakuwaku) for excitement or がっかり (gakkari) for disappointment, offering a direct way to convey internal experiences.

Are onomatopoeia considered informal?

While onomatopoeia is common in casual speech, it can also be used in literature, advertising, and other formal contexts.

The appropriateness of its use depends on the tone and formality of the situation.

Where to find more Japanese lessons?

We regularly publish free Japanese lessons on our Japanese Grammar Bank.

Can I book Japanese classes with LTL?

Yes!

You can book online Japanese lessons on our platform Flexi Classes.

If you’d prefer to study Japanese abroad, check out our immersion programs in Tokyo.