Let's think about onomatopoeia and mimetic words/Japanese Learning Support LLC
In daily lessons, kanji, particles, honorifics, etc. are some of the areas where people often have trouble, but surprisingly, even advanced level students have trouble with onomatopoeia and mimetic words. These are words used to convey animal cries, sounds, and even emotions and situations, such as "Woof Woof" (a dog's bark) and "Saazaa" (the sound of rain). This time, let's take a look at onomatopoeia and mimetic words.
table of contents
1. What are onomatopoeia and mimetic words?
2. What is the difference between "korokoro" and "gorogoro"?
3. Is "dondon" an onomatopoeia?
Onomatopoeia and mimetic words have similar names, but they are actually different.
Onomatopoeia are words that express the voices and sounds of living things exactly as they sound.
Examples of these include the "woof woof" mentioned in the opening sentence, the sound a cat makes by meowing, and the "clatter" sound made by a running train.
On the other hand, onomatopoeic words express the emotional movements or states of people, animals, or things without any sound. For example, when talking about animals, onomatopoeic words would be "pyonpyon," the sound of a rabbit jumping forward, and "hirahira," the sound of a butterfly flying. Although rabbits and butterflies don't actually make the sounds "pyonpyon" or "hirahira," these are descriptions that make it easy to imagine these actions. Other examples include "wakuwaku," which expresses the feeling of looking forward to something, and "dokidoki," which expresses a state of tension.
example)
・Tanaka: "I was nervous about the presentation yesterday. My heart was pounding the whole time."
Yamada: "That's right. The new guy, Fujii-kun, was so nervous his knees were shaking ."
Rin: "Yeah, I feel a little sorry for him, but he did his best too."
・Tanaka: "Were you okay with the rain yesterday? It started pouring down suddenly..."
Rin: "I was just on my way home and got soaked ."
However, some people may think that it is possible to communicate without using onomatopoeia or mimetic words.
It is certainly possible to convey basic information to others without using these words, but by using onomatopoeia and mimetic words, you can convey the scene, situation, or condition more specifically and accurately.
Compare the following sentences:
Example: a. A stone fell on my car.
b. A rock fell on the car.
c, A rock fell on the car.
Well, what do you think? Sentence A does not use onomatopoeia or mimetic words, but it does convey the fact that a rock fell on the car. So, what kind of rock was it? Was the car safe?
The "thunk" in b is the sound made when something hard hits something lightly. From this, we can infer that what fell was a small rock, and that the damage to the car was probably minimal. On the other hand, the "gaaah" in c describes a very loud sound made when something hits something, so we can imagine that what fell was a large rock, and that the damage to the car was greater than in b.
Let's look at another example.
Example: A: Doctor, I've had an upset stomach for three days.
b. Doctor, I've had an upset stomach for the past three days.
c. Doctor, my stomach has been throbbing for the past three days.
This is a scene from a hospital, but what kind of pain are these?
"Mukamuka" in a is the slightly nauseating feeling you get when you eat oily foods like steak or ramen, and "kirikiri" is a state of intense pain in only one part of the stomach. Perhaps this is similar to the stomach pain you get when you're nervous or anxious. "Zukizuki" is a pain in one part or the whole body that gets stronger and weaker in a wavy manner. It can also be used for headaches and the pain of a wound.
As you can see, onomatopoeia and mimetic words are packed with important information that allows you to convey a situation more accurately. They are particularly effective means of communication when you need to describe the condition of someone sick or in an accident as accurately as possible.
Now that we understand the roles of onomatopoeia and mimetic words, let's compare the following sentences.
As I was climbing the mountain, rocks started rolling down from above.
As we were climbing the second mountain, rocks started rolling down from above.
Well, what do you think?
In the first place, falling rocks while climbing a mountain are dangerous enough, but which do you think is more dangerous, statement 1 or statement 2?
In fact, if you compare the two sentences, you can see the difference in degree.
Korokoro: The rolling of something relatively small and light.
Gorogoro: A scene of something relatively large and heavy rolling around. Also, a scene of many large and heavy objects.
When you line them up like this, it's pretty clear which one is more dangerous.
As in this example, adding a voiced consonant mark (such as adding dots from ko to go and ta to da) often expresses a more severe or intense state .
example)
・This tempura is crispy and delicious.
I love the crunching sound when biting into corn flakes.
(Crunchy: the sound made when eating fried food or other foods with a light texture / Crunchy: the sound made when eating foods with a harder texture)
・The stars are shining brightly.
The sun is shining brightly.
(Sparkling: The way stars or electric lights shine / Glaring: A more intense glow that gives a sense of heat or intensity.)
・He is munching down his hamburger steak set meal with gusto.
He is eating his hamburger steak set meal with gusto.
(Munch/the act of eating something quickly/Munch: the act of eating more and more food vigorously)
So far we have been thinking about the characteristics and uses of onomatopoeia and mimetic words, but are you starting to get a clearer idea of what they are? Here is another sentence that I would like to compare.
①He kept knocking on my door.
②Since I bought a new PC, my work has progressed smoothly.
Now, is "dondon" an onomatopoeia or an imitative word?
"Dondon" in ① is the exact sound of someone knocking hard on a door, so it is an onomatopoeia that represents the sound.
On the other hand, "dondon" in ② is a word that describes the way work progresses quickly, so it can be said to be an onomatopoeia.
In this way, some words can be both onomatopoeic and mimetic. For example, the previously mentioned "sakusaku" is an onomatopoeic word that describes the light sound made when eating something hard, such as fried food, and it can also be an onomatopoeic word that describes the way work or study proceeds at a good pace.
There are several other similar words, such as "gan gan" (an onomatopoeia for hitting something hard / an onomatopoeia for a throbbing pain) and "gorogoro" (an onomatopoeia for a low rumbling sound such as thunder / an onomatopoeia for something large and heavy rolling).
This time we have given a brief introduction to onomatopoeia and mimetic words.
Regarding the differences between them,
Onomatopoeia: sounds made by objects, people, animals, etc. (Woof woof, thump thump, etc.)
Onomatopoeia: Words that clearly express the state of things, emotions, or situations (e.g., 'Pyonpyon', 'Wakuwaku', etc.)
It will be.
Although this does not apply to all words, I would like you to remember that overall, the addition of a voiced consonant tends to express a greater degree or more intense state.
There are a huge number of onomatopoeic and mimetic words, and each person feels differently, so it may be difficult to become familiar with them all. However, it is also true that using onomatopoeic and mimetic words can make your Japanese conversation more lively and help you convey information accurately when necessary. Don't shy away from them, but have fun learning about the differences between your own sense and the way you say things in your native language!
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