The onomatopoeia thread! 💥 🗯

omk3 · March 5, 2023, 11:54am

For a while now, I’ve wanted to start keeping a log of interesting onomatopoeia I come across in my reading. I was about to start looking for a suitable notebook, when it dawned on me that it would be way more fun as a group project. So I encourage everyone to post here any onomatopoeia they come across in the wild. If we collect enough, this might even end up being an informal onomatopoeia glossary of sorts.

I’m thinking it would be nice to format like this (but other ideas are welcome):

onomatopoeia word

Example sentence containing it (the phrase in which you found the word, with the word in question in bold)

Spoilered translation, with the translated onomatopoeia word in bold.

You can read more about onomatopoeia in this Tofugu article!

I’ve added an index and made this post a wiki, so that everyone who contributes onomatopoeia with an example sentence can add it to the index. Please observe alphabetical order as much as possible, and only link to posts that are formatted like the example above (onomatopoeia, real example sentence, optional translation). It’s okay to add another instance of a word already posted, this way we have more example sentences - not to mention that sometimes one word can have several meanings and usages. In such a case, please add a number next to the existing word in the index, and add your link to the number (see すっかり as an example).

Index:

あ・い・う・え・お

か・き・く・け・こ

さ・し・す・せ・そ

た・ち・つ・て・と

な・に・ぬ・ね・の

は・ひ・ふ・へ・ほ

ま・み・む・め・も

や・ゆ・よ

ら・り・る・れ・ろ
わ

omk3 · March 5, 2023, 11:58am

ぐっしょり

白いシャツもぐっしょり濡れていた。

(His) white shirt was also soaking wet.

omk3 · March 5, 2023, 1:14pm

すっきり

シャワーを浴びるだけでもすっきりと気持ちがいい。

Even just taking a shower feels refreshingly good.

polv · March 5, 2023, 1:42pm

Nice. There is also this website – Japanese-to-English SFX Sound Effects Translations @ The JADED Network

Occasionally I might find an onomatopoeia without a translation, so I might post…

omk3 · March 5, 2023, 1:58pm

The purpose of this thread is not to list onomatopoeia that is not listed elsewhere, just to collect any onomatopoeia we come across in our reading or listening, in the context it’s found. You don’t need to wait until you find onomatopoeia without a translation to post.

By the way, I’m noticing that it’s sometimes hard to include the whole sentence or phrase the onomatopoeia word is in, as the sentence may be too long or too spoilerish (I’ve had this problem with example sentences from 半落ち, it was nearly impossible to post any of them, as they were full of names and way too long). I guess some simplifying is fine, or even reducing the context phrase to just the words immediately surrounding the onomatopoeia word.

omk3 · March 5, 2023, 2:26pm

ぷんと

その時ぷんと、確かににおった。

At that moment, it definitely smelled strongly.

omk3 · March 5, 2023, 2:55pm

へらへら

困ったような、へらへら笑っているようにも見える顔をしている。

He made an awkward face that looked as if if he was laughing foolishly.

Not happy with my translation, but here is a video about the various laughs and respective onomatopoeia (へらへら is at the 3:52 mark):

2OC3aOdKgwSGlxfz · March 5, 2023, 3:25pm

ギクシャク

「まぁでも、よかったよ。ボクのせいでギクシャクしちゃったらどうしようって思ってたし」

"But well, I’m glad. I was thinking I wouldn’t know what to do If I had made things awkward / strained .

omk3 · March 5, 2023, 3:31pm

のろのろ

いかにも嫌そうなのろのろとした手つきでTシャツを脱いだ。

With very reluctant, slow movements, he took off his t-shirt.

2OC3aOdKgwSGlxfz · March 5, 2023, 4:03pm

どっかり

『あいてますか？』とか確認もせず、正面の席にどっかりと腰を下ろした。

Without even checking “Is this seat open?”, I flumped into the chair straight in front of her

drdru · March 5, 2023, 4:20pm

There is a very extensive list (3,000+) here.

A funny one I discovered yesterday is an onomatopeia for a specific type of silence

じージー “the sound of silence, paired with staring, stunnedness, waiting for the other shoe to drop, etc.” manga sound effects

omk3 · March 6, 2023, 6:22pm

すっかり

しかし、翌日になって旅行の話をすると、すでにすっかり忘れていた。

However, when they talked about the trip the next day, he had totally forgotten about it already.

Kazzeon · March 6, 2023, 6:32pm

There’s also ぐしょぐしょ and びしょびしょ.

omk3 · March 6, 2023, 6:58pm

うろうろ

公園の前でしばらくうろうろしたのち、隣駅に向かって歩きはじめた。

After loitering in front of the park for a while, he started walking towards the nearest station.

omk3 · March 7, 2023, 11:29am

そっと

たしかに人々は自分たちの変化に気がつかないまま、そっと変わろうとしていた。

Certainly, without noticing their own transformation, people were quietly/gently/secretly about to change.

drdru · March 7, 2023, 12:01pm

TIL a word can both be an adverb and an Onomatopoeic word.

omk3 · March 7, 2023, 8:47pm

コソコソ

指名手配者としてコソコソ生きるのなんて嫌よ。

I don’t want to live in hiding/in secret as a person wanted by the police.

omk3 · March 7, 2023, 10:15pm

ぐちゃぐちゃ

自分が何をしようとしていたのか、全然わかんなっちゃった。何を守ろうとして、何を信じようとしたか、全部ぐちゃぐちゃなの。

You have no idea what you’re trying to do. What you’re trying to protect, what you tried to believe, it’s all muddled up.

Kazzeon · March 7, 2023, 10:16pm

Where are you getting these?

omk3 · March 7, 2023, 10:19pm

In the books I’m reading. That’s the whole point, to find these words in context.
The translation is my own, so very much sub-par, but I hope it serves to illustrate what the onomatopoeia word stands for, at least.

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