Onomatopoeia refers to the usage of words that describe sounds associated with an action or a thing. There are mainly three types of onomatopoeic words in Japanese – Giongo 擬音語, Giseigo 擬声語 and  Gitaigo 擬態語.

Giongo 擬音語 are onomatopoeic words that represent sounds produced by non-living objects. For example, ザーザー zaazaa is the sound of heavy rainfall and びりびり biribiri is the sound produced when something is being torn.

Giseigo 擬声語  are onomatopoeic words that represent sounds produced by living objects. For example コケコッコ― kokekkoko is the sound made by roosters and コホコホ kohokoho is the sound of coughing.

Gitaigo 擬態語 are phenomimes that represent the state of mind or external conditions. For example, どんどん  dondon denotes steadiness and はっきり hakkiri denotes clarity.

In this post I would like to introduce 8 Japanese onomatopoeic words that represent different types of laughter or smile.

 

にこにこ nikoniko – Smiling away happily

彼女のにこにこ笑顔をみると幸せな気分になります。Kanojo no nikoniko egao o miru to shiawasena kibun ni narimasu. I feel happy when I see her smiling face.

 

げらげら geragera – A loud and uncontrollable laugh

ゲラゲラ笑いながらコメディ映画を楽しむ。Geragera warai nagara komedi eiga o tanoshimu. To laugh loudly while watching a comedy movie.

 

きゃっきゃっ kyakkya – Playful laughter of children

子供は新しいおもちゃをもらってキャーキャー喜びました。Kodomo wa atarashī omocha o moratte kyākyā yorokobimashita. The child laughed playfully on receiving a new toy.

 

ふふん fufun – A disdainful smile

彼は相手を横目で見てふふんと笑った。Kare wa aite o yokome de mite fu fun to waratta. He gave a side glance to his opponent and smiled disdainfully.

 

にやにや niyaniya – A smirk

なんでニヤニヤしてるの? Nande niyaniya shi teru no? What are you smirking at?

 

くすくす kusukusu – To laugh quietly to oneself

お葬式でくすくす笑うのはダメだよ。O sōshiki de kusukusu warau no wa dame da yo. It is not good to giggle like that in a funeral.

 

ほほほ hohoho – A gentle feminine laugh

彼女はほほほと笑うと可愛く見える。Kanojo wa hohoho to warau to kawaiku mieru. She looks cute when she laughs gently.

 

ひひひ hihihi – A wicked laugh

女王は白雪姫に毒リンゴを食べさせてひひひと笑った。Joō wa shirayukihime ni doku ringo o tabe sasete hihihi to waratta. The queen fed Snow White a poison apple and laughed wickedly.