When it’s doubled and the vowel is lengthened, it means the sound drags on, like グーグー ( gu- gu-, snoring). This form expresses a continuing state of the sound or feeling, like how you speak fluently the whole time you have a conversation, or you feel excited for quite a while.
Double form: わくわく ( wakuwaku, excited), ぺらぺら ( perapera, fluently speaking). The other thing you should know is that Japanese onomatopoeic expressions have three main grammatical forms: The good thing is, this means you don’t have to worry so much about writing it correctly! And if you need help getting started with learning Kana, check out this guide to Hiragana vs Katakana. So to that extent, sometimes the tone of the word is associated with the type of Kana - Hiragana are used for softer sounds and Katakana for harder ones.īut, like I said, it’s a mixed bag how they are written. The look of Katakana are all very hard and square-like, while Hiragana is rounded and soft. Sometimes it depends on the type of sound, too. But generally speaking, words that copy sounds are written in Katakana (so most Giongo), and words that express feeling/conditions are expressed in Hiragana (most Gitaigo, etc.). The rules are pretty loose with this one. 
The first question you may have is, “How do I write onomatopoeia in Japanese?” Getting Started with Japanese Onomatopoeia
Giongo and Gitaigo - words that express sounds, versus words that express feelings/conditions. To simplify, you could think of only two forms.
Gijougo: Describe feelings, like a shiver down your spine when you get an eerie feeling. Expressions like falling into deep sleep or walking around without purpose. Giyougo: Sounds that express descriptive movement that we would normally think of as verbs in English. Giseigo: Sounds from living things, like animals and people. Gitaigo: Sounds that describe states of being, like feeling sticky with sweat or muggy weather. Giongo: Sounds made by non-living things, like cars or the wind. The five types of Japanese onomatopoeia are: In Japanese, the onomatopoeia have a lot of nuance to express sounds of animals, nature, and inanimate objects, as well as feelings and movement. Japanese takes this to a whole new level, though. Sounds like “moo moo” for a cow, or “vroom vroom” for a car. We often see them in comics and children’s book or even make the noises while playing with our kids. As I mentioned above, we use these words in English to express things like noises and animal sounds. 
Onomatopoeia are any words, expressions or phrases that aim to imitate or recreate a sound or feeling. With thousands of onomatopoeia, Japanese feelings and true meaning are uniquely expressed through sound effects.įeeling いそいそ ( isoiso: “enthusiastic”) now? Let’s get learning! What is Onomatopoeia? Many people think Japanese is vague, and to an extent, it is - until you get into onomatopoeia. Japanese sound effects are used in everyday speech to not only describe sounds, but also feelings. Here's a Quick “Japanese Onomatopoeia” Video I Made To Get You Started: Plus, you can level up your Japanese conversation skills by expressing yourself with Japanese onomatopoeia. But Japanese onomatopoeic expressions are so common! You will be doing a serious disservice to your language skills if you don’t at least learn the basics. You may think, why do I need to learn onomatopoeia? Maybe you’re thinking of American onomatopoeia, that seems to be only in comics (“bang” and “kaboom”) and children’s books (“woof woof” and “meow meow”). Today, I’m feeling pretty わくわく ( wakuwaku: “excited”)! Are you うずうず ( uzuzu: “itching to get started”)?īecause today we’re learning onomatopoeia!
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