A LIST OF JAPANESE-ENGLISH ECHOIC WORDS (I)

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A LIST OF JAPANESE-ENGLISH

ECHOIC WORDS (I)

Yoshihisa MORITO

Introduction

The following list includes echoic words which are based on sounds that animals or things create and interjections that people utter. Mimetic words which derive from echoic words or interjections are also included in this list. The English echoic words are through the filter of the English conventional system.

So are the Japanese echoic words. They are not always reflective of the actual sounds.

Most examples are taken from novels and comics which have appeared in The International Herald Tribune, The Japan Times, The Asahi Evening News, The Daily Yomiuri, and The Student Times.

Abbreviations: int=interjection

mim=mimetic

n=noun

v=verb

adj=adjective adv=adverb

> leads to

< be derived from

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158 Japanese

a,ah (int) a-a (int)

achi (int) cf. atsui

ahiru (bird) ga(h)-ga(h) ai-ai ai-ai naku cfoi-oi aita = itai

ite (male) aitsu akachan (int)

ogya-ogya to naku waa waa

babu-babu akanbou=akachan (n) akashoubin (bird)

kyororo akubi ah-ah

amagaeru (animal)

kukukukuku kakakakaka ame

para-para shito-shito Ame ga zaa-zaa furu an-an =wan-wan anguri (mim)

angurishite tatsu aobazuku (bird)

English

a, ah,awp,o,oh,ow, wow oh

ouch

quack-quack > quack (v) boohoo

ouch

mew

abadum da baby

ruddy kingfisher warble

yawn; ho-hum

a kind of a small Japanese tree frog

rain

pitter-patter drizzle

The rain pours down. pour non-echoic wah,wahh, bohoo

agape

stand agape

a kind of owl

(3)

hoo-hoo aomatsumushi (insect)

ririririri are (int)

arya (int)

ashika (animal) o'o'o' baa, bah inai inai baa babu-babu

bacha-bacha cf. basha cf bisha bachin

ba'chiri (mim)

baka' (mim) cf. paku' bakan cf. dokan

ban

ban-ban to wo tataku

bara-bara cf. para-para

baran-baran (mim)<bara-bara bari-ban

baribari kaminari ga naru bari-bari yaburu

bari-bari hataraku basa

bassari

hoot-hoot

a kind of insect chirr-chirr

oh oh arf-arf bah, boo abadum da splash

barn

said of something fitting perfectly said of something that opens suddenly kaboom

barn, bang, wump, bap, pow, dong, wham bang the door

The chairman is banging the gavel and is calling the meeting in order.

1) pow-pow

2) said of a state in which things are broken into pieces

said of something that is dismembered 1) bang-bang

zap 2) crunch

3) said of someone who works eagerly

flutter

zap

(4)

160 bassari kiru bashi

bata-bata

jimen wo bata-bata fumu batta-batta=bata-bata

batan

battari<batan

battari taoreru be' (int)

bee (int) becha

becha-becha

becha-kucha=becha-becha becho-becho=bicho-bicho ben-ben

bera-bera bero-bero

beta-beta (mim) cf. peta betan, bettan

beto-beto (mim) bettori (mim) bi-bi

bicha-bicha

bicho-bicho (mim) biku-biku (mim)

bin (n) kachin to bin no oto biri

bin-bini

splat, spack

stamp-stamp

bang, thump

blah

blah, nyahhh splat

babble, prattle, chat

splash

said of a samisen or biwa twang babble

lick

splat

said of something sticky sticking closely

said of horning bip, beep splash

getting wet timid

the tinkles of bottles 1) rip

said of electricity zap

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bisha'splash, splosh, splush bishi'whip

bi'shiri (mim)said of things put tightly

bisho-bisho (mim)getting wet

biyonsaid of something vibrating toing

bo'the sound of catching fire

boothe sound of blowing on a conch shell

cf. buoo

boo-boosaid of a burning fire

bointhe sound of a punch bop

boin (mim) cf. biyon boing, bong

said of big breasts (slang)

bold'said of a twig breaking snap

cf. poki'

bokkanthe crashing sound

boko-bokobubble-bubble bokonbonk

bon1) the sound of a large clock

bong

2) the sound of crashing

bonk,bump

3) the sound of kicking thok

bonbon dokeigrandfather('s) clock

bori-bori

1) bori-bori kakuscratch 2) bori-bori taberu

bosu'the sound of a box collapsing phloomp

boton1) the sound of a falling object hitting

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i t

162

buh, buu

bu-bu

buga-buga

buku-buku bun-bun

buon-buon

cf. dobon,

cf. buun

buppooso (bird)

buru-buru burun-burun

butsu-butsu

buu-buu

dobun

something bonk

2) the sound of an object falling into the water bloop

1) the sound of fart cf. puh, puu

2) the sound of a trumpet blaatt cf. puh, puu

1) the sound of horning honk-honk,

beep, bip

1) the sound of an accordion or an organ hurdy-gurdy

glab, gulp

1) the sound of a beetle or an insect buzz, whizz, hum

2) the sound of an airplane boom

the sound made by a vacuum cleaner varoom, vroom

a Japanese scops owl more pork-more

pork

said of trembling brrr, burr clatter

The helicopter is clattering overhead.

1)=buu-buu complaining boo 2) a pimple or boil

3) a simmering sound simmer, sizzle

1) complaining voice boo

(7)

2) the sound made by a pig oink-

oink

3) (child talk) a pig

4) (child talk) an automobile buusuka = buu-buuboo

buwawa(baby talk) abadum da

buwaan abrupt sound made by a trumpet or

tuba blaatt

buuwan-buuwanthe sound of a Japanese police car

byuu-byuuthe sound of a wind swish, woosh,

wh000sh

byuun-byuunwhizz, swish>whizz, swish (v)

Cars whizz along the expressway.

cha-chathe sound made by "uguisu" or a bush warbler jug jug

chagu-chaguthe sound made by a horse chunk-

chunk

chaimu (n)chime

pin-ponding-dong, bing-bong

chaki-chakithe sound made by a kitchen knife

chop-chop

chanchikia metallic sound clang-clang

chapu-chapusplash-splash

charinthe sound made by a coin chink

che' (int)an exclamation of contempt tut, shucks

chi'-chi'-chi'the sound made by a watch tick-tick-

tick

chi'-chi'the sound made by a small bird twitter-

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164

chi'chizemi (insect) chin-chin

chindonya (n) chin

\don chirin-chirin=chin-chin chiro-chiro=koro-koro choki-choki

chokin-choki = choki-choki

chon-chon (dialectal) = chun-chun chon-giisu

choro-choro

chuba'

chun-chun chuu, chuh

twitter

a small Japanese cicada

1) the sound made by a plover tulee-tulee, tlui-tlui

2) the sound made on a street car chin- chin densha ring-ring

3) the sound of a small bell tinkle, jingle

"chindon" is echoic jingle

barn, bang

ding-a-ling-a-ling chirr-chirr

the sound made by scissors snip-snip,

snip-snap, hack-hack

twit-twit

the sound made by a grasshopper or katydid

1) the murmuring sound of a stream murmur, ripple, bubble, trickle,

whisper

2) (mimetic) said of small animals

scurrying

the strong kissing sound smack, smacko > smack (v)

the sound made by a sparrow twit-twit

the kissing sound smack, smacko

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chuu-chuu

chuukou (slang) da'

1) =chuu

2) the sound made by a mouse or rat

squeak

3) the sound of sucking smack (dialectal) the sound made by a sparrow

cf. chii-chii (dialectal) squeak

"chuu" is echoic mouse , rat the sound of drilling drrrrrr daa (int) (Okinawa dialect)

dadada daiyaru (n)

daku-daku (mimetic) ase daku-daku dara-dara (mimetic)

dara (mimetic) dedeppo

den-den (archaic) denki soujiki (n)

denwa (n) rin-rin

denwa ga jan jan naru

jiikon-jiikon daiyaru wo mawasu

buu (dial tone)

tsu'-tsu'-tsu' (ringing signal) pu'-pu'pu' (busy signal) deren (mimetic) cf daran

an interjection of surprise the sound of a machine gun see "denwa"

ratatatat

sweating like a horse 1) said of a slow action 2) = daku-daku

see "dara-dara" 1)

the sound made by a wild dove the sound of a drum see "don-don"

a vacuum cleaner buun, buuuu, buon, uuuu, uin-uin, varoom, vroom, rrrrr telephone