Japanese onomatopoeia (擬声語) isn't just for anime and manga — in daily life, the sound of knocking on a door, food sizzling, footsteps, and running water all have dedicated sound words. Master these, and your Japanese goes from flat to vivid. You'll be able to describe scenes so clearly that people can practically hear them.
Doors and Knocking
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Typical Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| コンコン | こんこん | Knock knock (polite knocking) | Knocking on a door, tapping a table |
| トントン | とんとん | Tap tap (light patting) | Tapping someone's shoulder, chopping sounds |
| ガチャ | がちゃ | Click/clack (door handle) | Opening/closing a door, turning a handle |
| バタン | ばたん | Slam! (forceful door closing) | Slamming a door, wind blowing a door shut |
Both コンコン and トントン describe light tapping, but they differ:
- コンコン → Knocking on something hard with your knuckles (a door, a desk) — a hollow sound
- トントン → Patting gently with your palm or fingertips — a softer sound
ドアをコンコンとノックした。 → I knocked on the door — knock, knock.
肩をトントンと叩かれた。 → Someone tapped me on the shoulder.
風でドアがバタンと閉まった。 → The wind slammed the door shut.
ガチャッとドアが開いた。 → The door clicked open.
Kitchen Sounds
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Typical Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| ジュージュー | じゅーじゅー | Sizzle sizzle (frying) | Grilling steak, teppanyaki |
| グツグツ | ぐつぐつ | Bubble bubble (simmering) | Cooking soup, stewing |
| パチパチ | ぱちぱち | Crackle pop (popping/clapping) | Wood fire, popcorn, applause |
| カチカチ | かちかち | Click click (hard objects) | Flicking a lighter, frozen solid |
ステーキがジュージューと焼ける音がたまらない。 → The sizzle of a steak on the grill is irresistible.
鍋がグツグツ煮えている。 → The pot is bubbling away on the stove.
薪がパチパチと燃えている。 → The firewood is crackling.
Note that カチカチ can also work as an adjective meaning "rock hard":
このパンはカチカチだ。 → This bread is hard as a rock.
Footstep Sounds
Different ways of walking each have their own dedicated sound word in Japanese:
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Typical Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| パタパタ | ぱたぱた | Patter patter (quick light steps) | Running in slippers, children running |
| ドタドタ | どたどた | Stomp stomp (heavy footsteps) | Rushing upstairs, heavy running |
| スタスタ | すたすた | Brisk brisk (quick striding) | Walking purposefully and fast |
| ヨチヨチ | よちよち | Toddle toddle (wobbly baby steps) | A baby learning to walk |
スリッパでパタパタと走っている。 → She's pitter-pattering around in slippers.
上の階でドタドタ走り回っている。 → Someone upstairs is stomping around.
彼はスタスタと歩いて行った。 → He strode off briskly.
赤ちゃんがヨチヨチ歩いている。 → The baby is toddling around.
The voiced/voiceless pattern is very clear here: パタパタ (voiceless → light) vs. ドタドタ (voiced → heavy). This is a general rule in Japanese onomatopoeia — voiced consonants (marked with ゛) tend to suggest something heavier, rougher, or more forceful.
Mechanical and Electronic Sounds
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Typical Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| ガタガタ | がたがた | Rattle rattle (loose things shaking) | Window rattling in wind, old machinery |
| カタカタ | かたかた | Clickety-clack (typing/light rattling) | Keyboard typing, sewing machine |
| ブーブー | ぶーぶー | Buzz buzz / beep beep (vibration/horn) | Phone vibrating, car horn |
キーボードをカタカタ打っている。 → She's clickety-clacking away at the keyboard.
風で窓がガタガタ鳴っている。 → The window is rattling in the wind.
携帯がブーブー鳴っている。 → My phone keeps buzzing.
Again, notice the voiceless/voiced contrast: カタカタ (light) vs. ガタガタ (heavy).
Water Sounds
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Typical Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| ジャージャー | じゃーじゃー | Gushing (running water) | Faucet on full, heavy rain |
| ポタポタ | ぽたぽた | Drip drip (water drops) | Leaking faucet, dripping eaves |
| チョロチョロ | ちょろちょろ | Trickle trickle (thin stream) | A brook, faucet barely open |
水をジャージャー出しっぱなしにしないで。 → Don't leave the water gushing like that.
蛇口からポタポタ水が漏れている。 → The faucet is dripping.
小川がチョロチョロ流れている。 → The brook is trickling along.
Water sounds from largest to smallest flow: ジャージャー (gushing) > チョロチョロ (trickling) > ポタポタ (dripping).
Eating Sounds
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Typical Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| モグモグ | もぐもぐ | Munch munch (chewing) | Mouth moving, chewing food |
| ゴクゴク | ごくごく | Gulp gulp (big swallows) | Chugging water, drinking eagerly |
| バリバリ | ばりばり | Crunch crunch (biting hard things) | Chips, crackers, rice crackers |
口をモグモグ動かしている。 → They're munching away with their mouth moving.
冷たい水をゴクゴク飲んだ。 → I gulped down cold water.
せんべいをバリバリ食べる。 → Crunching on rice crackers.
Cultural Note: Onomatopoeia in Manga
Japanese manga is a treasure trove of onomatopoeia. Manga artists draw sound words right into the panels, using different fonts and sizes to convey how loud or intense a sound is. For example:
- Quiet scenes might have a small シーン (the sound of silence — possibly the most uniquely Japanese onomatopoeia of all: a "sound" for "no sound")
- Action scenes use huge ドカーン (BOOM!) and バキッ (CRACK!)
- Everyday scenes feature ガヤガヤ (background chatter) and ワイワイ (lively commotion)
In spoken Japanese, the exaggerated manga sound effects aren't used much in conversation. But the everyday onomatopoeia covered in this article are completely natural in daily speech. Reading manga is a great way to build visual associations with these sound words.
Summary
- Doors and knocking: コンコン (knock), バタン (slam), ガチャ (door handle click)
- Kitchen sounds: ジュージュー (sizzling), グツグツ (simmering)
- Footsteps: パタパタ (pattering) → ドタドタ (stomping) → スタスタ (striding) → ヨチヨチ (toddling)
- Voiced/voiceless rule: Voiceless = lighter (カタカタ), voiced = heavier (ガタガタ)
- Water sounds large to small: ジャージャー > チョロチョロ > ポタポタ
- Eating sounds: モグモグ (munching), ゴクゴク (gulping), バリバリ (crunching)
Practice Quiz
Q1. Both コンコン and トントン are light tapping sounds. What's the difference?
Show Answer
- コンコン → Knocking on something hard with your knuckles (a door, a desk) — a hollow sound
- トントン → Patting gently with your palm or fingertips — a softer sound
For example, knocking on a door is コンコン, tapping someone's shoulder is トントン.
Q2. What's the relationship between voiced and voiceless consonants in Japanese onomatopoeia? Use the walking-related sound words as examples.
Show Answer
Voiceless consonants suggest something lighter, while voiced consonants suggest something heavier.
- パタパタ (voiceless) → Light, quick footsteps, like running in slippers
- ドタドタ (voiced) → Heavy, clunky footsteps, like rushing upstairs
The same pattern: カタカタ (light keyboard tapping) vs. ガタガタ (heavy rattling from wind).
Q3. Use water-related onomatopoeia to describe these three scenes: (1) a stream flowing, (2) a leaky faucet, (3) a faucet on full blast.
Show Answer
- 小川がチョロチョロ流れている。 → The stream is trickling along.
- 蛇口からポタポタ水が漏れている。 → The faucet is dripping.
- 水がジャージャー出ている。 → The water is gushing out.
Flow volume from largest to smallest: ジャージャー > チョロチョロ > ポタポタ.