# Common Japanese onomatopoeia words and how to use them
> An onomatopoeia is a word that represents a sound (and more!). We share 10 Japanese onomatopoeia words that you'll hear in manga, everyday conversations, and basically everywhere.
**URL:** https://migaku.com/blog/japanese/japanese-onomatopoeia
**Last Updated:** 2025-06-05
**Tags:** listicle
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To be honest, I'm not sure if I knew what an onomatopoeia was until I started to [learn Japanese](/learn-japanese). (At least, I definitely couldn't have spelled it.)
Thing is, they're _everywhere_ in Japanese.
If you've ever read manga or watched anime and noticed words like ドキドキ (doki-doki) or キラキラ (kira-kira) flashing across the page or screen, you know what I'm talking about. _These_ are onomatopoeia—or オノマトペ , as they're called in Japanese—and there are tons of them.
In this article, we'll explore 10 of the most common Japanese onomatopoeia—what they mean, how they’re used, and how they add depth and character to everyday language.
Let’s listen closely to the sounds of Japan:
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## What are onomatopoeia?
An onomatopoeia is a word which imitates or resembles the thing it describes. Onomatopoeia often represent sounds (e.g., thump, beep, quack) but can also represent actions (e.g., gulp, yawn, hiccup).
But!
... did you hear that?
That’s the sound of us only just scratching the surface of all the different ways onomatopoeia can be used 💪
_(Yes, I know that was terrible.)_
## The five types of Japanese onomatopoeia words
Japanese onomatopoeia can describe sounds, just as English onomatopoeia do. _(Duh, otherwise they wouldn't be called onomatopoeia.)_
| Onomatopoeia Type | Description | Example Word | Definition |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 擬声語 (giseigo) | Words that reflect animal and human sounds | うふふ | A low (suppressed) sort of laughter that you can't quite contain |
| 擬音語 (giongo) | Words that mimic a sound, often one from nature | ぱたぱた | The sound of something flapping |
But they can also do much more than that:
| Onomatopoeia Type | Description | Example Word | Definition |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 擬態語 (gitaigo) | Words that mimic the condition or state of an inanimate object | つるつる | Describes a slippery surface, like an icy road |
| 擬容語 (giyougo) | Words that describe the state, behavior, or appearance of a living thing | のろのろ | Describes something that is moving or progressing slowly |
| 擬情語 (gijougo) | Words that reflect an emotion or psychological state | わくわく | Describes the restless feeling of excitement when
you're looking forward to something |
You don't need to remember these technical words (and it can even be sort of blurry business to determine a particular onomatopoeia's category, as many have multiple usages). Just know that you'll see Japanese onomatopoeia used to describe things you wouldn't use onomatopoeia to describe in English. You'll also see onomatopoeia used in places you might not expect as a native English speaker, such as "normal" conversations between adults:
- ああ。見ているだけで**イライラしてきた**。
_Ugh. Just seeing that made me **annoyed**._
> Quick tip
A duplicated sound (ぱたぱた, わくわく) is a tell-tale sign of a Japanese onomatopoeia. You'll also see some onomatopoeia that end in り、ん、a long vowel, or っと.
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## 10 common Japanese onomatopoeia you'll find in manga
Whether it’s the beating of a nervous heart, the muttering of a socially awkward otaku, or the unexplained sparkle that seems to follow the popular girl around school—there's an onomatopoeia for that.
In fact, there are _tons_ of onomatopoeia in Japanese. [This Japanese onomatopoeia dictionary](https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E6%93%AC%E9%9F%B3%E8%AA%9E%E3%83%BB%E6%93%AC%E6%85%8B%E8%AA%9E4500-%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E8%AA%9E%E3%82%AA%E3%83%8E%E3%83%9E%E3%83%88%E3%83%9A%E8%BE%9E%E5%85%B8-%E5%B0%8F%E9%87%8E-%E6%AD%A3%E5%BC%98/dp/4095041749) alone has 4,500 entries. (Of course, the majority of them are not regularly used, and wouldn't be known by your typical Japanese person.)
So, to get you started, here are 10 super common onomatopoeia that, so long as you're somehow interacting with Japanese media, you'll inevitably bump your shin into.
### 1. ドキドキ (doki-doki): The sound of a heart beating fast
_Notice how ドキドキ has been shortened to ドキッ. You'll see this sometimes._
ドキドキ (doki-doki) is a gitaigo that expresses the sound or feeling of a rapidly beating heart—ba-dump, ba-dump—often from excitement, nervousness, or anticipation. (Or even just intense exercise.)
In this panel of _Witch Watch_, Nico’s heart starts pounding with excitement after reuniting with her childhood friend, Morihito.
**Example sentences:**
- テストの前はいつも**ドキドキ**する。
_Before a test, **my** **heart always races**._
- 走ったあとは、心臓が**どきどき**する。
_After running, **my heart beats fast.**_
### 2. ザー (zaa): The sound of pouring rain
_Notice how the vowel of this onomatopoeia gets dragged out for effect: not ザー, but ザァァァァァァ_
ザーザー (zaa-zaa) is a giongo that describes the sound of heavy falling rain. You may also see it used to describe forcefully flowing water in general.
**Example sentences:**
- 外は**ザーザー**雨が降っている。
_It’s **pouring rain** outside._
- うわっ、ここ、泥がすごいじゃないか。水を**ざあざあ流して**洗うしかないな。
_Wow! There's a lot of mud here. Guess I've got no choice but to **spray it with water** and wash it off._
### 3. カタカタ (kata-kata): The sound of clattering or rattling
カタカタ (kata-kata) is a giongo that mimics the clattering or rattling of something—the sound made when two hard objects come lightly and repeatedly in contact with one another.
It's often used to describe the sound of things moving around, like keys rustling in a bag or a machine running. Perhaps most commonly, though, you'll see it used to represent the sound of typing on a keyboard. (Or, in this case, the buttons on a cash register.)
**Example sentences:**
- **カタカタとキーボード**を叩く音が部屋に響く。
_The **sound of a keyboard** echoed through the room._
- 雨戸が風で**カタカタ鳴っている。**
The (window) shutters are **rattling** in the wind.
### 4. キャア (kyaa): The sound of a scream or squeal
キャア (kyaa) is a giseigo that mimics that high-pitched scream that people let out when they're surprised, scared, or extremely excited. Notably, this is an example of [女性語 (joseigo, women's speech)](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%A5%B3%E6%80%A7%E8%AA%9E#%E3%81%8B%E8%A1%8C); when men scream, they would be described as having said うわ！ (uwa!) instead (which is apparently somehow more masculine.)
If you get into the work of [Junji Ito](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junji_Ito), you'll learn this one by heart.
**Example sentences:**
- ゴキブリを見て、彼女は「**キャア！**」と叫んだ。
_She **screamed** when she saw a cockroach._
- 有名歌手を見つけた少女たちは**きゃあきゃあ騒いだ**。
_The girls **shrieked with excitement/went wild** when they saw the famous singer._
### 5. ゴロゴロ (goro-goro): Rolling (large rock or thunder)
ゴロゴロ (goro-goro) is a Japanese onomatopoeia that's got slightly more to it than meets the eye. It's technically a giongo which mimics the sound of something heavy rumbling around, like a boulder coming down a hill or thunder roaring in the distance.
Often, though, you'll also see it used as a giyougo to describe someone "rolling around on the floor", either in a state of frustration or lazy relaxation. Apparently, it can also be used as a gijougo that describes the state in which you've got something in your eye (sand, a bug, etc.) that causes your eye to feel uncomfortable/rough as it moves around.
In fact, [the Ninjal corpus](https://www2.ninjal.ac.jp/Onomatope/column/nihongo_1.html) (link in Japanese) describes it as a rare example of a word that can act as all 5 types of onomatopoeia.
**Example sentences:**
- 大きな岩が**ゴロゴロ**転がっている。
_The large rock **rolled around, making a rumbling sound.**._
- 日曜日に家でごろごろしている。
I'm lounging around the house on Sunday.
### 6. ガシャン (gashan) – The sound of a smash, clash, whomp, or pow
_Note how ガシャン itself appears in the photo, but と is appended to it in the example sentences. This emphasizes that the sound is very brief, rather than being continuous._
ガシャン (gashan) is a quite dramatic giongo that mimics the sound of something crashing or shattering, like glass breaking. You'll also see it used to describe the sound of a heavy blow _(whack, wham)_ and—as shown in _Sakamoto Days_ above—for the crash of a gun’s chamber being reloaded or disassembled.
**Example sentences:**
- コップが床に落ちて**ガシャンと**割れた。
_The glass fell to the floor and **shattered with a crash**._
- **ガシャンと**受話器を置く。
(He) slammed the (telephone) receiver down **with a bang.**
### 7. キラキラ (kira-kira): The sound (?) of something sparkling
キラキラ (kira-kira) is a lovely gitaigo that describes something glittering or shining, like stars or jewelry.
> ...Or, perhaps, the way his eyes ✨✨twinkle✨✨ when the cutest boy at school looks at you… _Kyaaa ～！_
**Example sentences:**
- 夜空に**キラキラ**星が光っている。
_Stars are **sparkling** in the night sky._
- 彼女の目は喜びで**キラキラしている**。
_Her eyes **sparkled** with joy._
### 8. じーっ (jii) – The sound (?) of someone intently staring at something
_The original word is じっと, but extending the い sound gives the nuance that the stare lasts longer_
じっと (jitto) is a gitaigo that describes a silent, intense gaze—someone watching something closely without blinking. You'll also see it used for someone entirely dissociating and staring into space, remaining quiet/motionless, or stoically enduring a hardship.
**Example sentences:**
- 猫が**じーっ**と私を見ている。
_The cat is **staring at me intently**._
- じゃ、注射しますよ。すぐ終わるから、**じっとしててね**。
Alright, I'm going to give you the shot now. It'll be over quickly, so **stay still**, okay?
### 9. ピピピピピ (pipipipipi): The sound of something beeping
ピーピー (piipii) was originally a giseigo that mimicked the sound of birds chirping, but with time, eventually came to _also_ be used as a giongo mimicking things like the repetitive beep of a digital alarm, microwave, or timer.
You'll also see this used to describe the sound of someone whistling or whining.
**Example sentences:**
- 目覚まし時計が**ピピピピピ**と鳴った。
_The alarm clock went off with a **beep-beep-beep**._
- 小鳥が**ぴーぴー鳴いている**。
Birds are **chirping**.
### 10. ドーン (doon): Japan's version of "Boom!"
_This is from the manga \_Sakamoto Days, which you can read the first several chapters of for free on [Shonen Jump](https://www.shonenjump.com/j/rensai/sakamoto.html)._
ドーン (doon) is an all-purpose giongo that can be used to describe pretty much any sort of explosion or loud impact: the explosion of fireworks, the roar of thunder, the _voom_ of a rocket flying through the air, the _whomp_ of a heavy hit, the _dong_ released upon striking a heavy bell, the _thud_ of something heavy hitting the floor.
It can also be used for generally dramatic bits of action—say, like an ex-hitman appearing behind you with a box cutter. Yikes.
**Example sentences:**
- 花火が**ドーンと**夜空に咲いた。
_A firework exploded in the sky **with a loud boom.**_
- 重い扉は**どーんと**叩きやぶられた。
_The heavy door was smashed open **with a loud bang.**_
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## オノマトペ are things you _feel_... so learn them with manga!
Okay, so now you know a few of the most common Japanese onomatopoeia you’re going to see popping up in manga and anime—where do you go from here?
> Well, if we might be so bold: _Start reading manga and watching anime._
Seriously. You'll see this stuff all the time. As you see more onomatopoeia alongside more images, you'll eventually develop a feel for what nuance a particular onomatopoeia adds to a scene.
For example—say you took us up on that free preview of [Sakamoto Days](https://www.shonenjump.com/j/rensai/sakamoto.html) up above, and ended up binging like four chapters.
You'd see this:
There's a lot _(a lot)_ of onomatopoeia in this manga, but that mid-right panel in particular has a wonderfully educational image: グイと _(グイッと to further emphasize the suddenness of the action)_ describes the motion that occurs when something is pushed or pulled with a strong, sudden force.
Onomatopoeia are really something that you should _feel_, though... so, rather than adding a verbal definition, you can just pop that manga panel right into a flashcard:
_(Migaku can also automatically generate explanations and example sentences for you, and you can manually add definitions from dictionaries, just in case you want a bit of context.)_
After about three seconds of work, you'll have yourself a handy little flashcard that looks like this:
We'll periodically nudge you to review that flashcard over time, ensuring that you eventually commit it to memory.
Here's an entire blog post on [how to learn Japanese with manga](/blog/japanese/learn-japanese-with-manga)... but, otherwise:
##
## By the way: Forget these "Japanese onomatopoeia lists" if you want to learn Japanese
So, we've got an entire post on [how to learn Japanese vocabulary](/blog/japanese/how-to-learn-japanese-vocabulary).
The most important takeaway from that blog post is this:
- When you learn a vocabulary word via a list, textbook, or flashcard, it's like you get an empty cup
- When you see those words used in real Japanese media, you fill the cup with water
So, while you're getting started, go ahead and use lists like this! They're a nice way to condense a bunch of information into something more easily digestible.
... but if you _really_ want to learn Japanese, remember The Golden Rule of Language Learning™:
> If you spend time consuming Japanese media, and you understand at least some of the messages and sentences within that media, you will make progress. _Period_.
[Ganbatte ne](/blog/japanese/ganbatte-meaning)