Common Type

Japanese

Katakana

Romaji

Sound Meaning

ira ira

nervous, edgy, testy

Example Sentence 1

Feelings
Weather,
Actions,
Qualities

kira kira

sparkle, glitter, twinkle, shine

Actions
Actions,
Feelings,
Qualities

jiro jiro

zoku zoku

stare, ogle, scrutinize

shiver, shudder, thrill, throb, gathering,
swarming, successfully, one after

another

niko niko

smiling

pika pika

Actions
Weather,
Actions
Weather,
Qualities

bisho bisho

glitter, sparkle, flash, shine brightly

soaked, drenched, sopping,
incessantly, drizzling

Feelings

piri piri

tingle, sting, nervous shivering

Food, Actions

peko peko

hungry, groveling, fawning

Qualities

bocchari

Feelings

Human Sounds

Human Sounds

Actions

O
O
O
O
O

Example Translation 1 Example Sentence 2 Example Translation 2 Example Sentence 3

My friend is late for our
meeting so I'm getting
My mother gets irritated
nervous.
easily.

Moyoko's eyes

sparkled when she saw

The stars are twinkling.
the ice cream.

It's rude to stare at

Don't stare at me.

people.

The cold sent chills

through me.
The baby smiled.
The car got really shiny,
huh?
I'm soaked from the
shower.
My tongue is tingling.

plump, chubby

waku waku

tremble, nervous(positive), excited

It was a really exciting

movie.

ahaha

laughter, hahaha

Everyone laughed,
"Ahaha!"

gyaa

scream, yikes, ouch, eek

kotori

clack, clang

Human Sounds

gohon

hacking cough

Human Sounds

fuwaa

yawn

Sato put the phone on

the desk with a clack.
The section manager
cleared his throat with a
cough.
That kid's always
yawning.

Actions,
Qualities

batan

Actions

gata gata

suddenly, thud
rattling, clattering, tremble, shiver,
grumble, shaky, complain, creaky

Actions

guu guu

sleep soundly, snoring, grumbling

Actions

gokku

koro koro

shiku shiku

gulp, gulping
lightly rolling, pleasant high-pitched
sound, changing frequently, fickle, rolypoly
dull pain, crying and sniffling, sobbing,
weeping

Girls that are a little

chubby are my type.

I heard someone yell

"Ahh!" from a distance.

My younger brother shut

the door with a thud.
The earthquake rattled
the houses.

The ring rolled on the

floor.
She's sobbing in her
room.

My heart was pounding

the moment I met him.

Actions,
Qualities
Actions,
Feelings

Actions,
Qualities

tsuru tsuru

slippery, smooth, glossy, greasy,

slurping

Actions

doki doki

thump thump bang bang, throb, beat

fast, flutter, pulsate

Food, Actions

paku paku

Actions,
Qualities

beta beta

Why did you give in like

that?

flapping your mouth open and closes,

eating heartily, yum yum, om nom nom

sticky, clingling, following around, all

over

Koichi is fast asleep on

the sofa.
Mikako gulped down the
spit.

How can I get such

smooth skin?

The man's mouth

flapped open and closed.

Example Translation 3
You must not get upset.
The diamond on the
bride's ringfinger
sparkled.
That man kept staring
at me.

I was thrilled the

I shivered when the

moment I hit the lottery.

monster came out.
I always watch Nico
Why don't you smile a Nico Douga before I go
little more?
to bed.

The lighthouse's lamp Kaori is already a shiny

is flashing.

new first year student.

Why are you sopping My shirt is drenched in

wet?

sweat.
The assembly hall was
enveloped in a tense
The player was tense
atmosphere.
before the game.

Why do Japanese
people bow in an
I'm starving.

obsequious way?
Don't you think my
The baby's chubby
husband's getting a
hands are adorable.

little chubby?

It's been a long time so I might go to Japan and

I'm nervous.
I'm super excited.

I fell for her laughing,

smiling face at first
Yuki laughed aloud with
sight.

an "Ahaha!"
I saw a cockroach and
screamed
The cat's fur stood on

unintentionally.

end while it yowled.

The neighbors house
A clanging sound rang was very quiet and I
out from the storage
didn't hear anything

room.

clang either.
After the woman
...!! This is Mickey M...
coughed, she suddenly (cough), I mean, no it's
vomited blood.

not, it's just a mouse!

The skirt floated up.

I yawned.
The potted plant was
The book fell off the
suddenly knocked over

shelf with a thud.

by the wind.
That player's already

complaining.

This post is creaky.

My stomach's been

grumbling for a while

Who's snoring over
now.
there?

Dad drank the sake in ! ! Gulp! Gulp! Ahh!

one gulp.
!
Delicious!

He's always changing

what he says so I don't Today's poop was

trust him,

small and round.

The wound gave off a My stomach panged
dull pain.
with hunger.

They just finished

waxing the floors, so
The man slurped his

the hallway is slippery.

soba.
Lately my heart's been

racing when I climb

I'm nervous.

several flights of stairs.

My goldfish often gulp

The kids are munching at the surface of tha
on chips.

water.

Ice cream melted on my After I peeled the

I'm embarrassed of
hand and it got sticky.
sticker off it was sticky.
being clingy in public.

Common Type

Japanese

Katakana

Romaji

Sound Meaning

Actions,
Qualities

pera pera

Food, Actions

mogu mogu

Weather,
Actions

zaa zaa

Example Sentence 1 Example Translation 1 Example Sentence 2 Example Translation 2 Example Sentence 3

I want to print it on

Kristen is fluent in
thicker paper, not flimsy
fluently, flipping pages, thin, flimsy
Japanese.

paper.

Rabbits munching on
I let my grandmother

yum yum, om nom nom, mumbling

their food is so cute.
mumble away.

The TV was just

making static sounds
The rain is pouring down from a black and white
rushing water, pouring rain, white noise
outside.

screen.

Giveaway Bonus
Weather,

Actions

goro goro

thunder, rolling, rumbling, grumbling,

idle away, loaf around

Actions,
Qualities

sara sara

Qualities

zara zara

Actions,
Qualities

kon kon

rustling, murmering, silky (hair), babble,

gurgle

rough, course, sandy, gritty

grinding, heavily, freely, tap tap, knock

knock, bang bang, dry, repetative

cough

Actions

gon gon

bang bang, clang clang

The director beat the

desk with his fist.

Actions

hara hara

stream, flutter, falling rapidly, thrilling,

exciting

What happened got me

excited.

Qualities

bara bara

scattered, loose, disconnected, messy,

pieces, rustling

Weather,
Actions

para para

ton ton

don don

in (large) drops, sprinkle, clatter, patter,

flipping through a book, crumbly

rapidly, steadily, light, repetative

striking, tap, tapping

rapidly, steadily, strong, repetative

sound of hard things, drumming

kan kan

blazing, hot, intense heat, clang clang

kin kin

piercing, shrill, high-pitched, sharp

metallic sound

Actions,
Qualities
Actions,
Qualities
Weather,
Actions,
Qualities

Actions

Feelings

hotto

Actions
Weather,
Actions

musutto

kirari

relief, feeling relieved, relaxed, at ease

frowning, stern expression

quick flash of light, flash

beron

sticking out your tongue

Actions

Example Translation 3
He started talking
fluently about his life's
story even though no
one heard it.
My son munched on his
hamburger.
I could hear the
thundering of the
waterfall.

My stomach's been

grumbling for a while.

The vegetables make

your blood smooth.

The floor is sandy from

the cloud of dust.

I loaf around at home

on holidays.

The hammer banged

against the nails.

I sprinkled the furikake

over my meal.

The young woman has

a dry cough.
When our child gets
angry he bangs his

head against the wall.

The sakura petals
fluttered, dancing to the
ground.

It seems that the

criminal from the messy
murder case was

caught.
There are only house
scattered around this
area.

Mom was fuming with

anger.

It's blazing hot today.

The alarm clanged

loudly.

Thunder is rumbling.
It's silky hair, isn't it?
It feels rough.
I knocked on the
restroom.

Everyone scattered.

The sand slipped

through my fingertips.
My skin is rough from
being dry.

The washing machine

is clanging.
Tears fell in big drops
from my daughter's
eyes.

I tried to take the watch

apart.

The rain fell in large

drops.

The young woman

Mom's steadily chopping I felt a tapping on my
lightly tapped her way
vegetables with a knife.
shoulder from behind. up the stairs.
Let's throw away things The man rudely kicked Fireworks shot up into
we don't need.
the sky.
at the car door.

This beer is intensely

cold and it's delicious.

My tooth is in piercing
pain from a cavity.

For some reason I

I was relieved to hear
always feel at ease
that she sounded fine.

when I drink hot cocoa.

My brother's been
That man looks like
frowning since morning.
he's always frowning.
The starts flashed in the The man's eyes
night sky.
flashed.

I peeled the boiled

The cat stuck it's tongue egg's shell off with a
out.

pop.

I'm worried about my

shrill voice.

I finished work and

finally breathed a sign

of relief.
That kid has the cutest
frowny face.

I feel something shining

for you.
Goku munched up eight
helping of gyoza in one

bite.