明白 めいはく meihaku

Popular JLPT-1

obvious, clear, plain, evident, apparent, explicit, overt

明白 あからさま akarasama

JLPT-1

plain, frank, candid, open, direct, straightforward, unabashed, blatant, flagrant

あべこべ abekobe

Popular JLPT-1

contrary, opposite, inverse, reverse, back-to-front

あやふや ayafuya

Popular JLPT-1

uncertain, vague, ambiguous

鯔背 いなせ inase

gallant, dashing, smart

おっちょこちょい occhokochoi

careless person, scatterbrain, birdbrain

お気の毒 おきのどく okinodoku

I am sorry (to hear, to say, etc.), a pity

お生憎様 おあいにくさま oainikusama

that's too bad, too bad for you!

お喋り おしゃべり oshaberi

Popular JLPT-3

chattering, talk, idle talk, chat, chitchat, gossip

chatty, talkative, chatterbox, blabbermouth
お転婆 おてんば otenba

tomboy

お得 おとく otoku

economical, bargain, good value, good-value

お洒落 おしゃれ oshare

Popular JLPT-2

smartly dressed, stylish, fashion-conscious

someone smartly dressed
to dress up, to be fashionable

カチカチ kachikachi

Popular

ticktock
chinking (e.g. of a hammer against rock), knocking, clicking, clacking, clattering
dry and hard, (frozen) stiff
hidebound, die-hard, stubborn, obstinate, bigoted
scared stiff, tense, nervous, frightened

カツカツ katsukatsu

barely, scraping by

からから karakara

parched, dried-up, bone-dry

empty, hollow
rattling, clattering
laughing loudly, roaring with laughter

がくがく gakugaku

body trembling, teeth clattering, something coming loose

がさがさ gasagasa

Popular

rustling
dry, rough feeling, rough to the touch
 rough (of a person), course, crude, unrefined, uncouth
catching fish with a net

ガタガタ gatagata

Popular

rattling, clattering
trembling, shivering, quaking, wobbling, swaying
whining, grumbling, griping, bellyaching
rickety, shaky, wobbly, decrepit, ramshackle, broken down

ガチガチ gachigachi

chattering (teeth)
(frozen, worried) stiff
rigid (personality, thinking, etc.), inflexible, overly serious
voracious (e.g. work, study), without slack or pause

ガチャガチャ gachagacha

clatter, clank, rattling

capsule toy vending machine

がぶがぶ gabugabu

Popular

gulping down (a drink), guzzling, chugging

sloshing around (of liquid in one's stomach)

ガラガラ garagara

with a clatter, with a rattle

empty, bare, uninhabited, vacant, unoccupied
raspy (voice), gravelly, husky
with a gargle
rough (personality, speech, etc.), unreserved, outspoken, boorish, ill-mannered
rattle (e.g. baby's toy)

がらんどう garandou

empty, hollow, bare, vacant, deserted

きかん気 きかんき kikanki

daring, unyielding
きちきち kichikichi

jam-packed (physically or of schedule, etc.)

grinding noise
precisely, correctly (e.g. when working, etc.)
acrida cinerea, oriental longheaded locust

きゅうきゅう kyuukyuu

squeak

きんきん kinkin

shrill, strident, piercing, tinkling, metallic-sounding

sharp (pain, e.g. headache, earache)
ice-cold, very cold

刻刻 ぎざぎざ gizagiza

Popular

notches, serration, indentation, jaggies (stair-step artifacts in computer images)

notched, serrated, jagged, corrugated, milled

ぎゅうぎゅう gyuugyuu

Popular

creaking, squeaking
packing in tightly, cramming, squeezing
hard (pressing, tying, twisting, etc.), tightly, with force
going hard (on someone), tormenting (e.g. with questions)

限り限り ぎりぎり girigiri

Popular

just barely, only just, at the very limit, at the last moment

くしゃくしゃ kushakusha

Popular

crumpled, rumpled, wrinkled, creased, tousled, disheveled, dishevelled

to be annoyed, to be irritated, to be upset
noisily (chewing)
グダグダ gudaguda

Popular

exhausted, tired
withered, worn out
boiling until shapeless or mushy
tediously, repetitively, wordily

愚図愚図 ぐずぐず guzuguzu

Popular

slowly, tardily, dawdling, lingering, hesitantly

complaining, grumbling
unsettled (e.g. weather)
loose, slackened

ぐちゃぐちゃ guchagucha

pulpy, soppy
sloppy, untidy, in a disarray, chaotic

ぐにゃぐにゃ gunyagunya

flabby, limp, soft and pliable

グラグラ guragura

Popular

wobbling, tottering, shaking, unstably, unsteadily

wavering (e.g. over a decision), dithering, indecisively
boiling up
dizzily, giddily

ごちゃごちゃ gochagocha

messy, confused, chaotic, disorderly, mixed-up, jumbled up

complaining about various things

ごった gotta

confusion, mess, mix, huddle

ご苦労様 ごくろうさま gokurousama

Popular JLPT-2

thank you for your hard work, I appreciate your efforts

さっぱり sappari

Popular JLPT-3

feeling refreshed, feeling relieved

neat, tidy, clean
frank, open-hearted, plain, simple, light
completely, entirely
not in the least (with neg. verb), not at all
nothing at all, completely useless, hopeless, awful

さらさら sarasara

Popular

rustling, murmuring
fluently
silky, smooth and dry, free-flowing

ザクザク zakuzaku

walking on frost, crunching (e.g. on gravel)

lots of coins or jewels
cutting into large pieces, loosely weaving
large (pieces, stitches, sand grains, etc.)

ざっくばらん zakkubaran

frank, candid, outspoken, unreserved

ザラザラ zarazara

Popular

rough (touch, voice, etc.), coarse, gritty, sandy, granular

rattling (of beans, beads, etc.)

しとしと shitoshito

Popular

gently (raining), drizzling

 moist, damp

じゃりじゃり jarijari

crunchy, gritty (sand, pebbles, etc.)

すっからかん sukkarakan

flat out (of), completely empty

out of money, penniless, broke

すっぽんぽん supponpon

utterly stark naked, wearing only one's birthday suit

擦れ擦れ すれすれ suresure

Popular

grazing, skimming, almost touching, passing within inches, being within a whisker, shaving close
barely, just, narrowly, by a slim margin

ずるずる zuruzuru

Popular JLPT-1

(dragging a large or heavy item) slowly

(falling) little by little, (slipping) gradually, (drawing back) slowly, with a slither
on and on, while putting off, slovenly, interminably
with a slurp, with a sniffle
loose, lax, inconclusive, unresolved

せっかち sekkachi

Popular

hasty, impatient, restless, rash

そう sou

Popular JLPT-5

so, really, seeming

appearing that, seeming that, looking like, having the appearance of

そっくり sokkuri
Popular JLPT-3

all, altogether, entirely, completely

exactly like, just like, spitting image of

ぞんざい zonzai

Popular JLPT-1

rough, careless, slovenly, slipshod, rude, impolite

たっぷり tappuri

Popular JLPT-3

full, in plenty, ample

だぶだぶ dabudabu

Popular JLPT-1

loose (of clothing), baggy

flabby, saggy
sloshing, slopping, overflowing
plenty (of pouring a liquid), drowning (e.g. in a sauce)

ちぐはぐ chiguhagu

Popular

mismatched, odd, irregular

inconsistent, incoherent, confused

小っぽけ ちっぽけ chippoke

very small, tiny

ちょぼちょぼ chobochobo

sparsely, drop-by-drop

つるつる tsurutsuru

Popular

smooth, shiny, slick

slippery, greasy
 slurping (noodles)

テカテカ tekateka

gleaming, shining, glistening

とんとん tonton

Popular

with a tap, with a knock, with a knocking sound, with a rap-tap

smoothly (proceed), without a hitch, without delay
even, equal, break-even

ドジ doji

blunder, bungle, clumsiness

何方付かず どっちつかず docchitsukazu

noncommittal, equivocal, indecisive, evasive, ambiguous, vague, on neither side

どの様 どのよう donoyou

Popular

what sort, what kind

泥々 どろどろ dorodoro

Popular

thick, viscous, mushy, pulpy, slushy, syrupy, sticky

muddy, dirty (with oil, grease, etc.)
to be in an ugly state (of emotions, relations, etc.), to be murky, to be sordid

等閑 なおざり naozari

Popular

neglect, negligence, disregard, making light of

憖 なまじ namaji

thoughtlessly, rashly, unwisely, half-heartedly

halfway, half-done, incomplete
憖い なまじい namajii

thoughtlessly, rashly, unwisely, half-heartedly

halfway, half-done, incomplete

憖っか なまじっか namajikka

thoughtlessly, rashly, unwisely, half-heartedly

halfway, half-done, incomplete

和やか にこやか nikoyaka

Popular

smiling, beaming, radiant, bright, cheerful

ヌルヌル nurunuru

Popular

slimy, slippery, greasy, clammy

smoothly (of CGI movements, video streaming, etc.)

はた迷惑 はためいわく hatameiwaku

nuisance to other people, inconvenience to others

ばさばさ basabasa

rustling, flapping, fluttering

unkempt (hair, etc.), loose, dishevelled
dry
decisively, with a whack

バラバラ barabara

Popular

scattered, disperse, loose, disconnected, in pieces, in drops, rustling

ばりばり baribari

Popular

tearing, ripping, scratching

crunching, munching
stiff, starchy, crisp
 (working) hard, actively, vigorously, energetically
making loud noises in succession (firing bullets, vehicle revving up, etc.)
crackling (electricity)

パリパリ paripari

crispy, crunchy
tearing, ripping, cracking
spirited, energetic, vigorous
brand-new and high quality (clothing), well-starched, crisp (bill)

ぱんぱん panpan

kapow, bang, slap, clap

bulging, filled to bursting
prostitute (esp. just after WWII)

只管 ひたすら hitasura

Popular JLPT-1

intently, single-mindedly, devotedly, solely, earnestly, with all one's heart

直向き ひたむき hitamuki

earnest, single-minded

ひょろひょろ hyorohyoro

totteringly, staggeringly, unsteadily

lanky, spindly, slender, frail

びしょびしょ bishobisho

Popular

soaked, drenched, sopping, soppy, wet

incessantly (raining), drizzling

びっしょり bisshori

Popular JLPT-1

wet through, drenched

びりびり biribiri
Popular

like an electric shock, ripping, rattling

tearing to pieces, ripping apart

ピカピカ pikapika

Popular JLPT-2

with a glitter, with a sparkle

brand new, shiny and new

ぴったり pittari

Popular JLPT-3

tightly, closely
exactly, precisely
suddenly (stopping)
perfectly (suited), ideally

膨よか ふくよか fukuyoka

plump, fleshy, well-rounded, full

pleasant (fragrance), rich

ふしだら fushidara

dissolute, dissipated, licentious, fast, loose

slovenly, untidy, messy

ふにゃふにゃ funyafunya

limpness
soft, limp, flabby
mumbling, talking with food in one's mouth

ふらふら furafura

Popular JLPT-1

unsteadily (e.g. on one's feet), shakily, staggering, tottering, reeling, dizzily, giddily
wavering (in one's mind), unsteadily, indecisively
aimlessly, unconsciously, whimsically, without thinking

ふんだん fundan
JLPT-1

plentiful, abundant, ample, lavish

ぶかぶか bukabuka

Popular JLPT-1

too large (clothing), baggy, loose-fitting

bulging, warping
parp, toot, blast

ぶっきら棒 ぶっきらぼう bukkirabou

Popular

curt, blunt, brusque

ブヨブヨ buyobuyo

soft and flabby

ヘトヘト hetoheto

Popular

completely exhausted, dead tired, knackered

へなへな henahena

weakly, helplessly
weak, flimsy

へべれけ hebereke

dead drunk, blotto

へぼ hebo

bungler, greenhorn, clumsy, poor hand

へま hema

blunder, bungle, gaffe

ヘラヘラ herahera
foolishly (laughing), thoughtlessly (smiling)
indiscreetly (talking), carelessly (speaking), frivolously, flippantly
thin (paper, cloth, etc.), flimsy
flaring up, bursting into flames
sker, shaving close