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The Dog Ate My Keitai · Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Posts: 67 Location: Japan

Yes, I realize it's not the weekend yet... But I can't wait! I'm getting started early. Here's a nice, silly, off-topic thread for you all.

What's your favorite Japanese onomatopoeic word? Very Happy

Mine is: goro-goro. (Roughly translated, it means, to laze around, roll around and do nothing -- kinda like what a cat might do as he purrs)...

Oh yeah, and I have one other favourite: icha-icha (describes two people displaying affection towards each other in public)...

Prizes go to the best entries!

Cheers! |_|D

Yawarakaijin · Joined: 20 Jan 2006 Posts: 504 Location: Middle of Nagano

As I am a big izakaya fan and frequent them as often as I can I would have to say that "peko-peko" is my favourite. Onaka ga peko-peko desu really gets the message across. I'm not sure, maybe someone can help me out, but is it acceptable for adults to use it or is it only for kids?

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

If it were clear that you had said it in jest, then yes, "peko-peko" would be fine... But it is a kids' term, or a not-so-polite one if you are trying to express hunger (as an adult). O naka ga suita is the standard-use term.

Likewise, many moons ago I asked a Japanese friend about "ipai desu" which means "full." But at the gas station, they ask you "mantan desu ka?" or, "fill it up?" So I asked what would happen if I used "mantan desu" after a large meal to indicate I were full? The Japanese speaker told me that if it were clear that I was trying to be funny then yeah, comparing my stomach to the full gas tank of a car would be amusing, but under normal circumstances, they'd think you were pretty strange.

I really like the word gatsun! That is the sound of a 6-foot tall Canadian smacking his skull against the crossbeam of a doorway that's much too low! (Yeah, it's an actual Japanese word. I was taught it by my tea ceremony teacher in his warnings to me about being careful in his house).

Apsara · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 2142 Location: Tokyo, Japan

I like "nyoro nyoro" which describes the movement of a snake slithering.

Also "gunya gunya" which is often accompanied by a wiggling hand and seems to mean something doubling back on itself, like a roundabout route to get from one place to another. According to my husband, the route by bicycle from our place to a big park nearby is very gunya gunya, so it takes longer than you think it does.

randytheringworm · Joined: 24 Apr 2006 Posts: 25

I don't have a favorite - I love them all!

I've often been struck by the irony that Japanese, with a relative paucity of speech sounds, is incomparably richer than a lot of other languages in onomatopoeic expressions.

There are also some pretty cacaphonous compound words made up of "on-yomi" (Chinese influenced) readings of kanji. One very unmusical example is the word for "symphony" -- "koukyoukyoku"-- the sound of which reminds me more of Schoenberg or Ives than of Mozart or Haydn. These are the exact opposite of onomatopoeic words -- arbitrary composites of syllables, yoked together without heed to the resulting effect on the ear.

If you can find it (don't know if it's still in print) a wonderful book is "Nihongo Gitaigo Jiten" ("An Illustrated Dictionary of Japanese Onomatopoeic Expressions") by the cartoonist Gomi Taro with English explanations and an evocative cartoon for each expression. Published by the Japan Times. I may well own the only copy in the State of Qatar Smile

Bozo Yoroshiku

sallycat · Joined: 11 Mar 2006 Posts: 303 Location: behind you. BOO!

i'm a big fan of 'doki-doki'.

wolfman · Joined: 18 Jan 2006 Posts: 189

zuru-zuru-zuru-zuru

JohnBankier · Joined: 03 Jun 2006 Posts: 7 Location: Auckland, NZ

I like BASHIN myself, for generally hitting stuff (such as unrully children) loudly. I suppose moja-moja isn't technically onomatopoeic, but if it was then it would be my favourite. Many times I help up a picture of a kiwi fruit in my kids classes to be told "It's a MOJA-MOJA!"

Sweetsee · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 2302 Location: ) is everything

Doki-doki.

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

I think I have a new favourite as of today. I was waiting for the 6年 to come collect me in the office to eat lunch with them... I was in the back, on the computer.

They came in with the standard, polite: "失礼します。。。ﾀﾞﾝﾛｰﾌﾟ先生いいますか�　and they were directed to the back of the room to where I was sitting.

As soon as they saw me, their faces brightened and they exclaimed, "先生、来て！" To which I responded, どこへ。。。？" There were three boys, one of who was enormous! He was about the size of 2 kids put together. His eyes got real big and he started making frantic movements with his hands, as if he were filling his mouth with imaginary rice from an imaginary bowl, using imaginary chopsticks... Then he burst out with: "もぐもぐ！�　 mogu-mogu! I just about died laughing! That's a great one! mogu-mogu! Unforgettable...