擬態語・擬音語

The situation decides whether it is fear, anticipation, or excitement.

Usually positive anticipation; compare nervous どきどき.

A feeling, not an imitation of an audible noise.

Can describe a cleared head, a tidy appearance, or relief; translate the context.

Gitaigo: the sparkle need not make a sound.

Often an overall shine or new-looking condition, compared with individual sparkles in きらきら.

Can also describe unsteady floating; the noun matters.

Common food language; not a synonym for every kind of softness.

Also used for flowing water and light rustling; categories can overlap.

Often unpleasant for surfaces; can also describe clingy behavior.

Smoothness can be desirable or dangerous depending on context.

Use with sleeping; do not treat it as a general adjective meaning deep.

Lighter sleep than ぐっすり眠る.

Can describe pace or character, not just a holiday.

In this sentence it describes activity; in another it may imitate a sound.

Do not infer fluency from any use of this word; paper can be ぺらぺら too.

Steady effort here, an audible tap in a different context.

Voiced sounds often suggest a heavier impression, but that is a tendency, not a translation algorithm.

Also commonly written ザーザー; script and vowel length convey presentation.

Contrast with the heavier rain of ざあざあ.

Also used for flipping through pages; learn the verb pairing.

Giseigo, an imitation of an animal voice; also used for loud crying in some contexts.

にゃあにゃあ is another common written form.

A mimetic portrayal of silence, despite often appearing among manga sound effects.

Usually suggests a pleasant visible smile; it does not prove what the person feels.

Often suggests a private amusement or an inappropriate-looking grin. More evaluative than にこにこ.

Often frames one smile as an event; にこにこ more readily depicts a continuing expression.

A laugh can be loud without being mocking. Context determines the attitude.

Compare the audible restraint with げらげら; neither identifies the reason for laughing.

The crying and aching senses require separate contexts. It is not simply a word meaning sad.

Often critical or unsympathetic. Do not use it as a neutral description of another person's grief.

The verb supplies the action. じっとしている means staying still; じっと見る means looking steadily.

Often conveys an intrusive or impolite gaze. It is not an interchangeable stronger form of じっと.

Repetition matters. 雪がちらちら降る describes a light scattering of snow in another sense.

A single brief look contrasts with the repeated looks in ちらちら見る.

Can describe an indistinct object or a person's unfocused state; these are different senses.

Also written ぼうっと. Common in conversation; not a medical diagnosis.

Can concern perception, wording, or certainty. はっきりしない may mean unclear or undecided.

Emphasizes decisiveness, especially in speech or refusal; it is not visual clarity.

The food sense and response sense share a lack of heaviness or complication, but need different translations.

Do not translate every occurrence as refreshing. The negative construction is a separate common use.

A broad expression: しっかりした人 means a dependable or capable person, not a physically hard person.

Can refer to orderly appearance or fulfilling a duty. It does not always mean exactly.

Common conversational language. In an instruction it can sound like criticism if failure is implied.

Explains a lapse, not an intentional decision. うっかりしていた is a common independent construction.

Concealment is central. そっと emphasizes gentleness or quietness without necessarily implying secrecy.

Often expresses care not to disturb. The verb and context determine whether quietness or gentleness dominates.

Brief execution rather than a general judgment that someone is fast.

Contrasts with じっくり読む. ざっと百人 means roughly a hundred people.

In commands it can sound impatient: さっさとして is not a neutral polite request.

With 休む it can mean taking one's time to rest, not performing a slow physical movement.

Slow pace alone is insufficient; it highlights sustained consideration.

Often negatively evaluated. ゆっくり may be neutral or desirable.

Can imply searching, uncertainty, or suspicious loitering depending on context.

A relaxed stroll here; 足をぶらぶらさせる describes dangling or swinging the legs.

Typically describes multiple people or animals, not one person walking slowly.

Describes a state rather than its medical cause. Can also describe aimless movement in other contexts.

Focuses on the unstable movement; the reason must come from context.

Cold, fear, or another cause can produce the movement; the word alone does not specify the cause.

Often a more joint-centered instability than general ぶるぶる trembling.

Can describe circular movement, wrapping, or thoughts circling in one's mind.

Often lighter or smaller-scale than ぐるぐる, but the distinction is a tendency, not a physical measurement.

意見がころころ変わる means opinions change frequently; it is not a literal rolling sound.

Do not infer thunder from every use. The lounging construction is a separate familiar sense.

Can describe physical separation or lack of agreement. Context determines whether disorder is implied.

Often negative. In ごちゃごちゃ言う it can dismiss someone's complaints or excessive talk.

Useful for contents of a space. Compare びっしり, often describing dense coverage across a surface.

Overlaps with ぎっしり in some contexts; the surface-versus-container contrast is an aid, not an absolute rule.

Can imply disappointing lack of density or substance. It is not always simply empty.

Bus occupancy, rattling sound, and a hoarse voice are different senses. Learn their noun and verb pairings.

The dry-throat sense is not interchangeable with がらがら, which can describe a hoarse voice.

Compare さらさら for smooth, dry, free-flowing qualities; voiced and unvoiced pairs have tendencies, not universal rules.

Different from a smooth clean surface described as つるつる. The slippery coating matters here.

Often about viscosity and strings. べたべた commonly emphasizes adhesive or tacky contact.

Not the same as desirable crispness. The evaluation depends on the food or material.

Often positive for food or skin. Can describe an understated mood in another sense.

The food texture and anger senses are distinct. The surrounding noun or verb resolves the meaning.

Do not reduce all food textures to crunchy. This emphasizes resistance rather than brittle breaking.

人にかりかりする concerns irritation. Cooking and emotional contexts need different translations.

Modern figurative uses include responsive software or work progressing smoothly.

Useful for thin brittle crispness; contrast a light crumbly さくさく texture.

Can extend to an exhausted person's condition. 涙がぼろぼろこぼれる is another construction.

Vegetables cooked until soft can also be くたくた. The human fatigue sense is not its only use.

Strong everyday fatigue, rather than a technical measure of exertion.

The repeated-bowing sense can sound critical; it is unrelated to literal stomach noise in this sentence.

Can also describe anger. Name the bodily or emotional context; do not infer a medical cause.

Describes the quality of pain, not a diagnosis or a precise level of severity.

Often a surface burning sensation; compare a deep throbbing ずきずき pain.

Can extend to pointed repeated remarks. The physical sentence does not specify an allergy.

Distinguish this from 続々, also read ぞくぞく, meaning one after another.

The desired action is often expressed with ～たくて. Restlessness alone does not identify what is wanted.

Often lacks a sharply defined cause or resolution. It is not always anger.

An expectation was let down. Do not substitute it mechanically for all sadness.

Can be pleasant or unpleasant. ～にびっくりする marks the cause of surprise.

A release of tension rather than generic happiness. Keep the small っ.

Can sound blunt when directed at a person. More sustained weariness than a momentary surprise.

The falling-petals sense is separate. Emotional はらはら often concerns what may happen next.

Highlights loss of composure or direction, not simply being busy.

Can concern crowds, laughter, or accumulated fatigue; identify what arrives in a burst.

Does not state a numerical amount. Context distinguishes physical effort, degree, and emotion.

Different verbs bring out movement, relief, or mental clarity. Do not treat it as a fixed adverb for all speed.

しない with ぱっと can mean unimpressive or lacking distinction, a separate construction.

Often followed by と. Compare continuing fit or suitability in ぴったり.

Also suitable for a purpose or exact in timing. It does not always refer to physical size.

A generous amount relative to context, not a fixed quantity.

Common with growth or improvement. It suggests a strong continuing trend.

The progress sense is distinct from the banging sound. In invitations it can encourage doing more.

A gradual advancing effect, not simply an arbitrary long duration.

Can be sound, headache, or forceful activity. It does not always refer to a literal impact.

収支がとんとん means income and expenditure roughly balance; learn that as a separate expression.