Part ①: words like 「ワクワク」 and 「ドキドキ」, which express happy and excited feelings
Part ②: words like 「ザーザー」 and 「ドンドン」, which express sounds you can actually hear
Part ③: words like 「フワフワ」 and 「ツルツル」, which express how something feels when you touch it
Part ④: words like 「テクテク」 and 「ピョンピョン」, which express people's movement and ways of walking
Part ⑤: words like 「パクパク」 and 「モグモグ」, which express ways of eating and food texture
This time, we will expand the feeling words we learnt in Part ①.
These words turn many different states of the heart, such as being angry, restless, relieved, or disappointed, into language.
Feeling annoyed: 「イライラ」
Feeling restless: 「ソワソワ」
Smiling happily: 「ニコニコ」
Feeling onomatopoeia is very useful for briefly showing what is happening inside your own heart or another person's heart. You will see and hear it everywhere: in conversation, on social media, in manga, and in dramas. If you learn today's words, you will be able to express feelings more naturally.
Today, we will study eight sound-symbolic words for feelings and states of mind. For each one, we will look at what kind of feeling it shows and how to use it, with examples.
Japanese sound-symbolic words, called 「オノマトペ」（おのまとぺ /o̞no̞mato̞pe̞/, words that imitate sounds or express states）, have two main types. Let us quickly review what we learnt before.
Type
What it represents
Examples
「擬音語」（ぎおんご /ɡioŋɡo/, sound-imitating words）: words that turn sounds into language
Sounds you can actually hear
「ザーザー」（rain sound）, 「ドンドン」（knocking or banging sound）
「擬態語」（ぎたいご /ɡitaigo/, state-describing words）: words that turn states into language
States and feelings (without an actual sound)
「イライラ」（being angry or annoyed）, 「ニコニコ」（smiling）
Most feeling onomatopoeia is 「擬態語」.
「イライラ」 and 「ソワソワ」 show what is happening inside the heart → no sound can be heard → 「擬態語」
You cannot see the movement of the heart, but Japanese puts the state into words as if it were a sound
If you notice whether a sound can be heard or the word describes a feeling or state, it becomes easier to remember the meaning. You can think of feeling onomatopoeia as words that describe states of the heart.
Meaning: A feeling of becoming angry or annoyed because things are not going the way you want. The feeling is sharp and unsettled.
Use it when you have been made to wait, when something is not going well, or when something is noisy.
Example sentences:
「電車がなかなか来なくて、イライラする。」（The train is not coming for a long time, so I feel annoyed.）
「パソコンがおそくて、イライラしてきた。」（The computer is slow, and I am starting to feel irritated.）
「イライラしているときは、少し休もう。」（When you are feeling irritated, take a short rest.）
Usage tip: 「イライラ」 is a not-so-good feeling. It is often used in the forms 「イライラする」 and 「イライラした」. If you say 「イライラしないで」（Do not get irritated） to someone, it can work as gentle encouragement.
Meaning: A state where something is on your mind and your heart cannot settle. It is the feeling of not being able to stay still.
Use it before something important, when you are waiting for something good, or when you have something to worry about.
Example sentences:
「試験の前で、朝からソワソワしている。」（Before the exam, I have been restless since morning.）
「旅行が楽しみで、ソワソワする。」（I am looking forward to the trip and feel restless.）
「大事な電話を待っていて、ソワソワした。」（I was waiting for an important phone call and felt restless.）
Difference from 「イライラ」: 「イライラ」 is an angry or annoyed feeling, while 「ソワソワ」 is a restless feeling. 「ソワソワ」 can be used for good things (excitement) and bad things (worry).
Meaning: A state of being very worried that something bad may happen. It is often used to describe the feeling of a person who is watching.
Use it when watching a sports match, a dangerous situation, or a scene in a drama.
Example sentences:
「試合の最後まで、ハラハラして見ていた。」（I watched nervously until the end of the match.）
「子どもが高い所にのぼって、ハラハラした。」（A child climbed up to a high place, and I felt anxious watching it.）
「ハラハラするえいがを見た。」（I watched a suspenseful film.）
Usage tip: 「ハラハラ」 is often used when you are worried while watching another person or a situation, rather than about yourself. If 「ドキドキ」 is the sound-like feeling of your own heartbeat, 「ハラハラ」 is the feeling of watching anxiously.
Meaning: A state of worrying for a long time about something that is already over. It is a negative feeling where you keep thinking about a small thing again and again.
Use it after a mistake or after something unpleasant has happened.
Example sentences:
「しっぱいしても、クヨクヨしないでね。」（Even if you make a mistake, do not keep worrying about it.）
「終わったことをクヨクヨ考えても仕方ない。」（There is no point worrying again and again about something that is already over.）
「クヨクヨせずに、次がんばろう。」（Let us not dwell on it, and try again next time.）
Note: 「クヨクヨ」 shows a not-so-good feeling. 「クヨクヨしないで」（Do not keep worrying） is often used as kind encouragement when you want someone to feel better.
Meaning: A state where your hopes do not come true, and your feeling drops. It gives the image of losing energy because you are disappointed.
Use it when something you were looking forward to is cancelled, or when things do not go as expected.
Example sentences:
「雨で遠足が中止になって、ガッカリした。」（The excursion was cancelled because of rain, and I was disappointed.）
「結果を見て、ガッカリした。」（I saw the result and felt disappointed.）
「ガッカリしないで、また挑戦しよう。」（Do not be disappointed. Let us try again.）
Usage tip: 「ガッカリ」 is used in the forms 「ガッカリする」 and 「ガッカリした」. It is also often written in hiragana as 「がっかり」. It is a word with the image of your feelings "going down".
Meaning: A state of smiling gently and happily. It feels like smiling with your facial expression, without making a loud sound.
Use it when someone is happy, pleased, or in a good mood.
Example sentences:
「プレゼントをもらって、ニコニコしている。」（They received a present and are smiling happily.）
「赤ちゃんがニコニコ笑った。」（The baby smiled happily.）
「先生はいつもニコニコしている。」（The teacher is always smiling kindly.）
Difference between 「ニコニコ」 and 「ニヤニヤ」: 「ニコニコ」 is a bright and pleasant smile. The similar word 「ニヤニヤ」 is used when someone is smiling while hiding something, and it can have a bad impression. For a pleasant smile, use 「ニコニコ」.
Meaning: A state where your heart feels light and excited because something happy or fun is coming. The feeling is bright and light.
Use it when you have enjoyable plans or when something good is waiting for you.
Example sentences:
「明日から旅行なので、ウキウキする。」（The trip starts tomorrow, so I feel excited.）
「新しいくつを買って、ウキウキした気分だ。」（I bought new shoes and feel cheerful.）
「休みの前は、なんだかウキウキする。」（Before a holiday, I somehow feel excited.）
Difference from 「ソワソワ」: Both describe the feeling of waiting for something in the future, but 「ウキウキ」 is happy and positive, while 「ソワソワ」 is restless. 「ウキウキ」 is used only for good feelings.
Meaning: A state of feeling relieved after worry or tension goes away. It is often used in the form 「ホッとする」.
Use it when a problem ends safely or when a worry disappears.
Example sentences:
「試験が終わって、ホッとした。」（The exam ended, and I felt relieved.）
「子どもがぶじに帰ってきて、ホッとした。」（The child came home safely, and I felt relieved.）
「いい知らせを聞いて、ホッとする。」（When I hear good news, I feel relieved.）
Usage tip: 「ホッと」 comes from 「ほっ」, the sound-like feeling of letting out a breath you were holding. The expression 「ホッと一息（ひといき）つく」（to take one relieved breath） is also common. It is a very useful word for showing a relieved feeling.
Feeling onomatopoeia is very useful for briefly showing what is inside your heart. Even without a long explanation, the feeling comes across quickly.
「試験が終わって、ホッとしたよ。」（The exam is over, and I feel relieved.）
「旅行が楽しみで、ウキウキしてる。」（I am looking forward to the trip and feel excited.）
「待たされて、ちょっとイライラしちゃった。」（I was made to wait, so I got a little irritated.）
Compared with only saying "happy" or "I do not like it", these words explain what kind of feeling you have in more detail. They are used very often in conversations with family and friends.
Feeling onomatopoeia is also common in social media posts and manga. Because it expresses feelings in short words, readers can easily imagine the situation.
「明日からきゅうか！ ウキウキ。」（Holiday from tomorrow! I am excited.）
「結果発表までソワソワする…。」（I feel restless until the results are announced...）
「ぶじ終わってホッと。」（It ended safely, and I feel relieved.）
In manga, words like 「イライラ」 and 「ニコニコ」 are often written next to a character to show their feeling. If you know feeling onomatopoeia, you can enjoy manga and dramas more.
Feeling and mind-state onomatopoeia becomes easier to organise when you group it by type of feeling:
Not-so-good feelings: 「イライラ」（anger or annoyance）, 「クヨクヨ」（worrying）, 「ガッカリ」（disappointment）
Restlessness and worry: 「ソワソワ」（restless）, 「ハラハラ」（worried）
Good feelings and relief: 「ニコニコ」（smiling）, 「ウキウキ」（excited）, 「ホッと」（relieved）
The four key points are:
Feeling onomatopoeia is mostly 「擬態語」 (you cannot hear an actual sound)
Many of these words repeat the same sound twice
You can add 「〜する」, 「〜している」, or 「〜した」 to use them in sentences
They communicate not only the visible state, but also the feeling inside the heart
Once you can use feeling onomatopoeia, you can express your own heart and another person's heart vividly in Japanese. Start with common words from today's eight, such as 「イライラ」, 「ニコニコ」, and 「ホッと」, and try using them in your next conversation.
Next time, in Japanese Onomatopoeia ⑦, we will look at sound-symbolic words that describe the state or condition of things.
We will study expressions that put the condition of things around us into words, such as 「ピカピカ」（shiny）, 「ボロボロ」（old and worn out）, and 「ぐちゃぐちゃ」（messy）.
Please look forward to it.
