The onomatopoeia thread! ๐Ÿ’ฅ ๐Ÿ—ฏ

For a while now, Iโ€™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.

Iโ€™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!


Iโ€™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). Itโ€™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 ใ™ใฃใ‹ใ‚Š as an example).

Index:

ใ‚ใƒปใ„ใƒปใ†ใƒปใˆใƒปใŠ

ใ‹ใƒปใใƒปใใƒปใ‘ใƒปใ“

ใ•ใƒปใ—ใƒปใ™ใƒปใ›ใƒปใ

ใŸใƒปใกใƒปใคใƒปใฆใƒปใจ

ใชใƒปใซใƒปใฌใƒปใญใƒปใฎ

ใฏใƒปใฒใƒปใตใƒปใธใƒปใป

ใพใƒปใฟใƒปใ‚€ใƒปใ‚ใƒปใ‚‚

ใ‚„ใƒปใ‚†ใƒปใ‚ˆ

ใ‚‰ใƒปใ‚Šใƒปใ‚‹ใƒปใ‚Œใƒปใ‚
ใ‚

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ใใฃใ—ใ‚‡ใ‚Š

็™ฝใ„ใ‚ทใƒฃใƒ„ใ‚‚ใใฃใ—ใ‚‡ใ‚Šๆฟกใ‚Œใฆใ„ใŸใ€‚

(His) white shirt was also soaking wet.

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ใ™ใฃใใ‚Š

ใ‚ทใƒฃใƒฏใƒผใ‚’ๆตดใณใ‚‹ใ ใ‘ใงใ‚‚ใ™ใฃใใ‚Šใจๆฐ—ๆŒใกใŒใ„ใ„ใ€‚

Even just taking a shower feels refreshingly good.

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

Occasionally I might find an onomatopoeia without a translation, so I might postโ€ฆ

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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 itโ€™s found. You donโ€™t need to wait until you find onomatopoeia without a translation to post. :slight_smile:

By the way, Iโ€™m noticing that itโ€™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 (Iโ€™ve had this problem with example sentences from ๅŠ่ฝใก, 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.

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ใทใ‚“ใจ

ใใฎๆ™‚ใทใ‚“ใจใ€็ขบใ‹ใซใซใŠใฃใŸใ€‚

At that moment, it definitely smelled strongly.

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ใธใ‚‰ใธใ‚‰

ๅ›ฐใฃใŸใ‚ˆใ†ใชใ€ใธใ‚‰ใธใ‚‰็ฌ‘ใฃใฆใ„ใ‚‹ใ‚ˆใ†ใซใ‚‚่ฆ‹ใˆใ‚‹้ก”ใ‚’ใ—ใฆใ„ใ‚‹ใ€‚

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 (ใธใ‚‰ใธใ‚‰ is at the 3:52 mark):

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ใ‚ฎใ‚ฏใ‚ทใƒฃใ‚ฏ

ใ€Œใพใใงใ‚‚ใ€ใ‚ˆใ‹ใฃใŸใ‚ˆใ€‚ ใƒœใ‚ฏใฎใ›ใ„ใงใ‚ฎใ‚ฏใ‚ทใƒฃใ‚ฏใ—ใกใ‚ƒใฃใŸใ‚‰ ใฉใ†ใ—ใ‚ˆใ†ใฃใฆๆ€ใฃใฆใŸใ—ใ€

"But well, Iโ€™m glad. I was thinking I wouldnโ€™t know what to do If I had made things awkward / strained .

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ใฎใ‚ใฎใ‚

ใ„ใ‹ใซใ‚‚ๅซŒใใ†ใชใฎใ‚ใฎใ‚ใจใ—ใŸๆ‰‹ใคใใงTใ‚ทใƒฃใƒ„ใ‚’่„ฑใ„ใ ใ€‚

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

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ใฉใฃใ‹ใ‚Š

ใ€Žใ‚ใ„ใฆใพใ™ใ‹๏ผŸใ€ใจใ‹็ขบ่ชใ‚‚ใ›ใšใ€ ๆญฃ้ขใฎๅธญใซใฉใฃใ‹ใ‚Šใจ่…ฐใ‚’ไธ‹ใ‚ใ—ใŸใ€‚

Without even checking โ€œIs this seat open?โ€, I flumped into the chair straight in front of her

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

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

ใ˜ใƒผ ใ‚ธใƒผ โ€œthe sound of silence, paired with staring, stunnedness, waiting for the other shoe to drop, etc.โ€ manga sound effects

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ใ™ใฃใ‹ใ‚Š

ใ—ใ‹ใ—ใ€็ฟŒๆ—ฅใซใชใฃใฆๆ—…่กŒใฎ่ฉฑใ‚’ใ™ใ‚‹ใจใ€ใ™ใงใซใ™ใฃใ‹ใ‚Šๅฟ˜ใ‚Œใฆใ„ใŸใ€‚

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

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Thereโ€™s also ใใ—ใ‚‡ใใ—ใ‚‡ and ใณใ—ใ‚‡ใณใ—ใ‚‡. :eyes:

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ใ†ใ‚ใ†ใ‚

ๅ…ฌๅœ’ใฎๅ‰ใงใ—ใฐใ‚‰ใใ†ใ‚ใ†ใ‚ใ—ใŸใฎใกใ€้šฃ้ง…ใซๅ‘ใ‹ใฃใฆๆญฉใใฏใ˜ใ‚ใŸใ€‚

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

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ใใฃใจ

ใŸใ—ใ‹ใซไบบใ€…ใฏ่‡ชๅˆ†ใŸใกใฎๅค‰ๅŒ–ใซๆฐ—ใŒใคใ‹ใชใ„ใพใพใ€ใใฃใจๅค‰ใ‚ใ‚ใ†ใจใ—ใฆใ„ใŸใ€‚

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

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

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ใ‚ณใ‚ฝใ‚ณใ‚ฝ

ๆŒ‡ๅๆ‰‹้…่€…ใจใ—ใฆใ‚ณใ‚ฝใ‚ณใ‚ฝ็”Ÿใใ‚‹ใฎใชใ‚“ใฆๅซŒใ‚ˆใ€‚

I donโ€™t want to live in hiding/in secret as a person wanted by the police.

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ใใกใ‚ƒใใกใ‚ƒ

่‡ชๅˆ†ใŒไฝ•ใ‚’ใ—ใ‚ˆใ†ใจใ—ใฆใ„ใŸใฎใ‹ใ€ๅ…จ็„ถใ‚ใ‹ใ‚“ใชใฃใกใ‚ƒใฃใŸใ€‚ไฝ•ใ‚’ๅฎˆใ‚ใ†ใจใ—ใฆใ€ไฝ•ใ‚’ไฟกใ˜ใ‚ˆใ†ใจใ—ใŸใ‹ใ€ๅ…จ้ƒจใใกใ‚ƒใใกใ‚ƒใชใฎใ€‚

You have no idea what youโ€™re trying to do. What youโ€™re trying to protect, what you tried to believe, itโ€™s all muddled up.

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Where are you getting these?

In the books Iโ€™m reading. Thatโ€™s the whole point, to find these words in context. :slight_smile:
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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