Japanese manga uses sound effects (擬音語, giongo) and mimetic words (擬態語, gitaigo) more densely and more grammatically than most comics traditions. They are drawn directly into the panel, almost always in katakana, with size and stroke weight indicating intensity. This page collects the most common categories with examples.
Giongo (擬音語) — physical sounds
Giongo represent literal sounds:
- ドキドキ (doki doki) — a heartbeat, usually from nervousness or excitement.
- ガタンゴトン (gatan goton) — the rhythmic sound of a train on tracks.
- バーン (bān) — an explosion or a slamming door.
- ザワザワ (zawa zawa) — a low murmur of a crowd.
- ガラガラ (gara gara) — a rolling, rattling sound.
Gitaigo (擬態語) — mimetic words for states
Gitaigo describe states, qualities, or movements that have no sound — they are sounds for the soundless:
- キラキラ (kira kira) — sparkling, shining.
- ニコニコ (niko niko) — smiling broadly.
- シーン (shīn) — silence (the sound of nothing happening; a recognised gitaigo).
- フワフワ (fuwa fuwa) — fluffy, light, floating.
- ゴロゴロ (goro goro) — a rolling motion, or lounging idly.
Why translation is difficult
Translators must decide for each onomatopoeia whether to: replace it with an English equivalent (drawn into the panel by the letterer); leave the original Japanese katakana with a small footnote; remove it altogether; or romanise it. Each approach has costs. The mimetic shīn for silence has no satisfying English equivalent; a panel containing 'shīn' translated as 'silence' is awkward; left untranslated it requires a footnote.