In the previous onomatopoeia articles, we learned:
Part ①: words that express feelings or states, 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」
This time, we will look at the group closest to everyday life.
These are words that put eating and drinking, and the food texture called 「食感（しょっかん） [ɕo̞kkaɴ]」, into language.
eating eagerly as 「パクパク」
chewing with the mouth moving as 「モグモグ」
being very hungry as 「ペコペコ」
Meals happen every day, so these onomatopoeic words appear very often in conversation. You will hear and see them in restaurants, at home, on social media, and in manga. If you learn them today, talking about meals in Japanese will sound much more natural.
Today, we will learn eight onomatopoeic words for eating, drinking, and food texture, with examples showing what kind of situation they express and how to use them.
Japanese onomatopoeia has two main types. Let's review them from the previous articles.
Type
What it expresses
Examples
「擬音語（ぎおんご） [ɡʲio̞ɴɡo̞]」: words that turn sounds into language
Sounds you can actually hear
「ザーザー（雨の音）」 (sound of heavy rain), 「ゴクゴク（飲む音）」 (sound of drinking in big gulps)
「擬態語（ぎたいご） [ɡʲitaiɡo̞]」: words that turn states into language
States, feelings, and food texture without sound
「パクパク（食べる様子）」 (eating eagerly), 「ペコペコ（空腹の様子）」 (being very hungry)
Onomatopoeia for eating and drinking includes both types.
「ゴクゴク」 is close to 「擬音語」 because it is based on a drinking sound you can actually hear.
「ペコペコ」 and 「サクサク」 describe a state or texture, so they are 「擬態語」.
You do not need to separate them perfectly. If you pay attention to whether a sound can be heard or a state is being described, the meanings become easier to remember.
Meaning: Eating well while opening and closing the mouth. It is used when someone eats a lot and seems to enjoy it.
It fits when someone has a good appetite or when the food is so good that they keep eating.
Examples:
「子どもがごはんをパクパク食べている。」 (The child is eating rice eagerly.)
「おいしくて、パクパク食べてしまった。」 (It was so good that I kept eating.)
「魚が水面で口をパクパクさせている。」 (A fish is opening and closing its mouth at the surface of the water.)
Usage hint: 「パクパク」 has a bright and energetic image. It is often used together with a positive feeling, such as "They are eating well" or "That looks delicious."
Meaning: Chewing food slowly and well with the mouth closed. It shows that food is inside the mouth.
Use it when someone is chewing slowly or when their mouth is full.
Examples:
「口にいれたまま、モグモグしている。」 (They are chewing with food still in their mouth.)
「よくモグモグかんで食べましょう。」 (Let's chew your food well.)
「口がモグモグしていて、返事ができない。」 (My mouth is full and moving, so I cannot answer.)
Difference from 「パクパク」: 「パクパク」 shows food being put into the mouth one bite after another. 「モグモグ」 shows food being chewed inside the mouth. They describe different moments in eating.
Meaning: Eating forcefully because you are hungry, without holding back. It gives the feeling that appetite is stronger than manners.
Use it when someone is very hungry or eating quickly.
Examples:
「おなかがすいて、ガツガツ食べた。」 (I was hungry and ate ravenously.)
「そんなにガツガツ食べないで、ゆっくり食べよう。」 (Do not eat so aggressively. Let's eat slowly.)
「運動のあと、ガツガツごはんを食べた。」 (After exercising, I ate rice eagerly.)
Caution: 「ガツガツ」 can sound a little ill-mannered. Be careful when saying it directly to another person. When you use it about yourself, it can sound humorous in the right situation.
Meaning: Drinking a lot quickly and with energy. It also includes the sound heard from the throat, like 「ゴクッ」.
It fits when you are thirsty or when you drink a cold beverage all at once.
Examples:
「暑かったので、水をゴクゴク飲んだ。」 (It was hot, so I drank water in big gulps.)
「ジュースをゴクゴク飲む音が聞こえる。」 (I can hear the sound of someone drinking juice in big gulps.)
「子どもが牛にゅうをゴクゴク飲んでいる。」 (The child is drinking milk in big gulps.)
Usage hint: 「ゴクゴク」 is close to 「擬音語」 because it is a word for a drinking sound you can hear. If you say 「ゴクッ」 once, it describes one gulp, as in 「水をゴクッと飲んだ。」 (I took one gulp of water.)
Meaning: Being hungry. It is often used in the form 「おなかがペコペコ」.
This is a very useful word before a meal or when you have not eaten for a long time.
Examples:
「朝からなにも食べていなくて、おなかがペコペコだ。」 (I have not eaten anything since morning, so I am very hungry.)
「おなかがペコペコで、力が出ない。」 (I am so hungry that I have no energy.)
「もうペコペコだよ。早くごはんにしよう。」 (I am already starving. Let's eat soon.)
Caution: 「ペコペコ」 has one more meaning. It can describe bowing the head again and again, as in 「店長にペコペコする。」 (to bow repeatedly to the manager). When talking about food, it is 「おなかがペコペコ」. When talking about bowing, it is 「人にペコペコ」. The words that come with it are different.
Meaning: A light sound and pleasant bite when you chew something. It is not too hard and feels good to bite.
Use it for 「てんぷら（てんぷら） [te̞mpɯɾa]」, battered and fried seafood or vegetables, cookies, fried foods, and fresh vegetables.
Examples:
「このクッキーはサクサクしておいしい。」 (This cookie is crisp and delicious.)
「てんぷらがサクサクにあがった。」 (The tempura fried up crisp.)
「レタスがサクサクして新せんだ。」 (The lettuce is crisp and fresh.)
Usage hint: 「サクサク」 can also be used for things other than food. In a sentence like 「仕事がサクサク進む。」 (work moves along smoothly), it describes something moving forward quickly and pleasantly.
Meaning: A light, clear bite when you chew fresh vegetables and similar foods. It feels juicy and pleasant.
Use it for fresh vegetables and fruits such as lettuce, cucumbers, apples, and bean sprouts.
Examples:
「このサラダはシャキシャキしている。」 (This salad is crisp and fresh.)
「りんごがシャキシャキしておいしい。」 (The apple is crisp and delicious.)
「もやしのシャキシャキした食感が好きだ。」 (I like the crisp texture of bean sprouts.)
Difference from 「サクサク」: 「サクサク」 is a dry, light texture, as with cookies. 「シャキシャキ」 is the texture of juicy vegetables. Both feel good to bite, but the amount of moisture is different.
Meaning: A warm, soft, moderately dry texture. It gives the feeling of warmth spreading in the mouth.
Use it for potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and roasted sweet potatoes.
Examples:
「ふかしたじゃがいもがホクホクだ。」 (The steamed potato is warm and fluffy.)
「やきいもはホクホクであまい。」 (Roasted sweet potato is warm, soft, and sweet.)
「かぼちゃをホクホクに煮た。」 (I simmered the pumpkin until it became warm and soft.)
Usage hint: In addition to food texture, 「ホクホク」 can also express a happy feeling, as in 「おこづかいをもらってホクホク顔だ。」 (having a pleased face after receiving spending money). It has the image of warmth and satisfaction.
Onomatopoeia for eating and texture is very useful for briefly describing deliciousness and how someone eats. Even without a long explanation, the situation comes across right away.
「ごはんをパクパク食べたよ。」 (I ate rice eagerly.)
「このパン、サクサクでおいしい。」 (This bread is crisp and delicious.)
「おなかがペコペコだから、早く食べよう。」 (I am very hungry, so let's eat soon.)
Compared with only saying "ate" or "delicious," these words also communicate how the food was eaten or what the texture was like. They are often used in meal conversations with family and friends.
Food texture onomatopoeia is very common when introducing food. You will see it on restaurant menus, social media posts, and food reviews.
「外はサクサク、中はジューシー。」 (Crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside.)
「シャキシャキ野菜のサラダ。」 (A salad with crisp vegetables.)
「ホクホクのさつまいもを使ったケーキ。」 (A cake made with warm, soft sweet potatoes.)
When texture words are included, readers can imagine the taste more easily. Using them when introducing food helps the deliciousness come across clearly.
Eating sounds are 「擬音語」, while food texture and states are 「擬態語」.
Many of them repeat the same sound twice.
You can put them into sentences with 「〜と」, 「〜する」, and 「〜だ」.
They communicate not only the situation, but also deliciousness and feeling.
Once you can use onomatopoeia for eating and texture, you can talk about meals vividly in Japanese. Start with common words such as 「パクパク」 and 「ペコペコ」, and try using them in your next meal situation.
Next time, in Japanese Onomatopoeia ⑥, we will cover onomatopoeia that describes feelings and states in more detail.
We will look at expressions that put people's inner feelings into words, such as 「イライラ（おこっている）」 (irritated), 「ソワソワ（落ち着かない）」 (restless), and 「ニコニコ（うれしそう）」 (smiling happily).
Please look forward to it.
