「オノマトペ」- Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeias are Japanese expressions that describe natural sounds, voices, states, and movements. In winter, you will often read or hear onomatopoeias such as “shinshin”, “buruburu” and “pokapoka” in Japan. It often appears when reading Japanese comprehension sentences. In this article, we will introduce onomatopoeias that are often used in winter along with example sentences. Let’s memorize the meaning and learn more about Japanese than ever before.
The snow falls with a “shinshin”
“Shinshin” is an onomatopoeia that often appears in Japanese sentences, although it is not often used in conversation. It is a word that describes how “snow” falls quietly.
Some people may think that onomatopoeia is used for things that have sounds. However, this “shinshin” expresses how the snow is falling without a sound.
Also, the word “silent” means “quiet”. “Shin” is the Japanese word for quietness. Some of you may have seen a monologue called “scene” in Japanese manga. It is often used to express that no one is speaking, that there is no sound or voice.
Since ancient times, the Japanese have felt that the quiet state of nature is beautiful. The use of onomatopoeia even for things that do not have a sound is very Japanese.
Hands and feet tremble
The onomatopoeia for trembling is “buruburu”. I use it not only when it’s cold, but also when I’m scared. For example, you can use it to say, “The ghost in the movie was so scary that I trembled.” In addition, “gatta-gata” is often used with the same meaning.
In the example above, you could say, “My hands and feet were shivering.”
If you have a chance to speak with a Japanese person, try saying it once. It appears in sentences, but is more often used in conversation.
I feel warmer than usual today.
“Poka Poka” is used when you feel “warm and comfortable”. I often see people using it not only in the warm spring, but also in the cold winter.
Because it’s cold in winter, it’s the season when you feel warmer than usual when something happens. You can also use it in conversation, such as “It’s cold outside, isn’t it?” increase.
It is an onomatopoeia that you often see in comprehension texts. It can be used in winter and spring, that is, half of the year, so let’s learn and use it now.
Learn about Japan through onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeias are not only useful for reading comprehension questions in exams, but you can also learn what kinds of expressions Japanese people value.
It is said that there may be a lot of snow in western Japan and eastern Japan this winter. When I saw the snow falling quietly, I thought, “It’s falling quietly.” Then I walked in the snow and said, “I’m shivering from the cold.” If you try it, you should be able to enjoy winter in Japan as well as Japanese.
