In the previous onomatopoeia articles, we learned:
Part ①: words that express happy and enjoyable feelings, such as 「ワクワク」 and 「ドキドキ」
Part ②: words that express sounds you can actually hear, such as 「ザーザー」 and 「ドンドン」
Part ③: words that express how something feels when you touch it, such as 「フワフワ」 and 「ツルツル」
Part ④: words that express people's movements and ways of walking, such as 「テクテク」 and 「ピョンピョン」
Part ⑤: words that express ways of eating and food texture, such as 「パクパク」 and 「モグモグ」
This time, we will expand the feeling words we learned in Part ①.
These are words that put many different states of the heart into language, such as being angry, restless, relieved, or disappointed.
feeling irritated as 「イライラ」
feeling restless as 「ソワソワ」
smiling happily as 「ニコニコ」
Feeling-related onomatopoeia is very useful for briefly communicating what is happening inside your own heart or another person's heart. These words appear everywhere: conversation, social media, manga, and dramas. If you learn them today, you will be able to express feelings more naturally.
Today, we will choose eight onomatopoeic words for feelings and inner states, and learn what kind of feeling each word shows and how to use it, together with examples.
「イライラ」 and 「ソワソワ」 describe a state inside the heart → no sound can be heard → 「擬態語」
The movement of the heart cannot be seen, but Japanese puts that state into words as if it were a sound
If you pay attention to whether a sound can be heard or a feeling or state is being described, the meanings become easier to remember. It is safe to think of feeling-related onomatopoeia as words that express states of the heart.
Meaning: The feeling of being angry or irritated because something is not going the way you want. Your feelings become sharp, and you cannot stay calm.
Use it when you are made to wait, when something does not work well, or when something is noisy.
Examples:
「電車がなかなか来なくて、イライラする。」 (The train is not coming, and I feel irritated.)
「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 feel irritated, let's rest a little.)
Usage hint: 「イライラ」 is an unpleasant 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」 to someone, it can be a word of encouragement.
Meaning: A state where something is on your mind and your heart cannot settle down. It is the feeling of being unable to sit still.
Use it before something important, when you are waiting for something good, or when you are worried about something.
Examples:
「試験の前で、朝からソワソワしている。」 (It is before the exam, and 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, so I 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 feeling, while 「ソワソワ」 is a restless feeling. 「ソワソワ」 can be used for good things, such as excitement, and bad things, such as worry.
Meaning: Being worried that something bad might happen, so you cannot feel calm. It often describes the feeling of a person watching something.
Use it when watching a sports game, a dangerous scene, or a tense scene in a drama.
Examples:
「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 game.)
「子どもが高い所にのぼって、ハラハラした。」 (A child climbed to a high place, and I felt worried watching them.)
「ハラハラするえいがを見た。」 (I watched a suspenseful movie.)
Usage hint: 「ハラハラ」 is often used when you are worried while watching another person or a situation, more than when talking about yourself. If 「ドキドキ」 is the sound of your own heart, 「ハラハラ」 is the feeling of watching anxiously.
Meaning: Worrying for a long time about something that is already over. It is a negative feeling where you keep thinking about even a small thing again and again.
Use it after a failure or after something unpleasant has happened.
Examples:
「しっぱいしても、クヨクヨしないでね。」 (Even if you fail, 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。」 (Do not dwell on it. Let's try hard next time.)
Caution: 「クヨクヨ」 expresses an unpleasant feeling. 「クヨクヨしないで」 is often used as a gentle word of encouragement when you want someone to feel better.
Meaning: Feeling down because something you expected did not go well. It has the feeling of losing strength because you are disappointed.
Use it when something you were looking forward to is canceled, or when things did not turn out as you hoped.
Examples:
「雨で遠足が中止になって、ガッカリした。」 (The school trip was canceled 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 feel too disappointed. Let's try again.)
Usage hint: 「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: Smiling happily and gently. It feels like smiling with your face, without making a loud sound.
Use it when someone is having fun, happy, or in a good mood.
Examples:
「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.)
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 smiles while hiding something, and it can have a negative feeling. For a pleasant smile, use 「ニコニコ」.
Meaning: A state where your heart feels light and lively because something happy or fun is coming. The feeling is bright and light.
Use it when you have a fun plan or when something good is waiting for you.
Examples:
「明日から旅行なので、ウキウキする。」 (I am going on a trip from 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 day off, I somehow feel excited.)
Difference from 「ソワソワ」: Both words describe waiting for something that will happen, 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: 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.
Examples:
「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。」 (I hear good news and feel relieved.)
Usage hint: 「ホッと」 comes from 「ほっ」, the sound-like expression used when letting out a breath you were holding. The expression 「ホッと一息（ひといき）つく」 is also common. It is a very useful word for expressing a relieved feeling.
Feeling-related onomatopoeia is very useful for briefly expressing what is inside your heart. Even without a long explanation, your feeling comes across quickly.
「試験が終わって、ホッとしたよ。」 (The exam ended, 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, so I feel excited.)
「待たされて、ちょっとイライラしちゃった。」 (I was kept waiting, so I got a little irritated.)
Compared with only saying "I am happy" or "I do not like it," these words communicate what kind of feeling it is in more detail. They are used very often in conversation with family and friends.
Feeling-related onomatopoeia is also common in social media posts and manga. Because these short words express feelings well, readers can easily imagine the situation.
「明日からきゅうか！ ウキウキ。」 (Vacation starts 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 such as 「イライラ」 and 「ニコニコ」 are often written next to characters to show their feelings. If you know feeling-related onomatopoeia, manga and dramas become more enjoyable.
Feeling-related onomatopoeia can be written in both hiragana and katakana.
Katakana: 「イライラ」 (when you want emphasis, or on social media)
Hiragana: 「いらいら」 (a softer and gentler impression)
The meaning is the same. Choose based on the situation and the feeling you want to give. When you want to show a strong feeling, katakana is often used.
restlessness and worry: 「ソワソワ」 (restless), 「ハラハラ」 (worried)
good feelings and relief: 「ニコニコ」 (smile), 「ウキウキ」 (lighthearted excitement), 「ホッと」 (relief)
The four key points are:
Feeling-related onomatopoeia is mostly 「擬態語」, meaning no real sound is heard.
Many of these words repeat the same sound twice.
You can put them into sentences with 「〜する」, 「〜している」, and 「〜した」.
They communicate not only an outward state, but also feelings inside the heart.
Once you can use feeling-related onomatopoeia, you can express your own heart and other people's feelings vividly in Japanese. Start with common words from today's lesson, 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 cover onomatopoeia that describes the condition and state of things.
We will look at expressions such as 「ピカピカ（光っている）」 (shiny), 「ボロボロ（古くていたんでいる）」 (old and worn out), and 「ぐちゃぐちゃ（みだれている）」 (messy),
and see expressions that put the condition of things around us into words.
Please look forward to it.
