Onomatopoeia

We note that the same onomatopoeic word can have several meanings depending on context. For example, harahara naku (cry harahara) refers to weeping, shedding tears but harahara suru means to be nervous and anxious about something or to be breathless in anticipation. Further, harahara chiru (fall harahara) describes a way small, light flower petals fall and scatter one after another.

Beyond Imitating Sound in Nature

In addition to onomatopoeic words which describe naturally occurring sounds, there is a huge variety of words for describing actions, processes, and conditions that are not accompanied by sound. Take the earlier example of splash. We noted that this is a sound imitation of, for instance, a rock falling into water. This word need not be limited to that sense. For instance, the same word can appear in a more metaphorical context, as in the story about Princess Erika was splashed across the national papers. This type of semantic extension occurs frequently in Japanese, as we have seen some examples of this sort already. Take jitojito. This word describes a condition that is clammy, wet, or moldy caused by a period of rain. With its meaning extended, it describes someone's personality that is dark, obsessed, gloomy, and clingy. Another example mukamuka suru. This is not onomatopoeia in a strict sense because it does not describe a sound. Rather it is descriptive of one's upset stomach (Onaka ga mukamuka site kimochi ga warui "I feel nauseous in the stomach and feel sick"). Its meaning may be extended beyond a physical sensation but a mental state of anger, as in Ano hito ni au to mukamuka suru "Whenever I see him, he is revolts me." So we have seen three types of onomatopoeic words--the first type that describe mainly sound occurring in nature, second type that imitates sound as well as describes a state or condition, and the third type that describes primarily state or condition.

Why So Many Onomatopoeia?

One theory in an attempt to account for a heavy use of onomatopoeia proposes that the Japanese language, especially non-Chinese native vocabulary referring to action or condition, lacks a specific description of how action is carried out or condition obtained. For instance, take the case of crying. English can describe a variety of crying as cry, wail, sob, snivel, whimper, weep, etc., each conveying different type of crying. In contrast, Japanese has only one native Japanese word for crying—naku, and the meaning of this word is so general that it refers not only crying of people but to cries birds make. Although naku lacks the English specificity of meaning, Japanese can express a comparable range of crying types by adding appropriate onomatopoeic adverbs. Such examples include wanwan naku 'cry loudly shedding tears, resonating' wāwā naku 'cry loudly shedding tears,' gyāgyā naku 'cry loudly and out of control shedding tears', mesomeso naku 'sob continuously (often in self-pity)', shikushiku naku (cry softly and continuously), samezame naku (cry often out of regret and as part of spiritual cleansing), etc.

Hiroshi Nara

Hiroshi Nara is Professor in the Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures at the University of Pittsburgh. His research interests are 20th century Japanese intellectual history and modernity, particularly the development of aesthetic categories and their political implications before World War II.