BasicsJune 2, 2026

Giseigo, Giongo, and Gitaigo: The Main Types of Japanese Onomatopoeia

Learn the main types of Japanese onomatopoeia: giseigo, giongo, and gitaigo. Understand sound words, animal and human voices, mimetic words, and common examples for English speakers.

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Japanese onomatopoeia is often grouped into three main types: giseigo, giongo, and gitaigo. Giseigo describes voices from people or animals, giongo describes real sounds from objects or nature, and gitaigo describes states, feelings, textures, movement, or atmosphere.

For English speakers, the most important point is this: Japanese onomatopoeia is not only about sound. Words like wan wan and zaa zaa imitate sounds, but words like fuwa fuwa, doki doki, beta beta, and shiin describe things you feel, see, sense, or experience.

What are the main types of Japanese onomatopoeia?

The main types of Japanese onomatopoeia are giseigo, giongo, and gitaigo. These categories help learners understand whether a word is imitating a voice, imitating a sound, or describing a state.

Type	Japanese	What it describes	Easy explanation	Example
Giseigo	擬声語	Human or animal voices	voice words	wan wan
Giongo	擬音語	Sounds from objects or nature	sound words	zaa zaa
Gitaigo	擬態語	States, textures, feelings, movement, atmosphere	mimetic words	fuwa fuwa

A beginner-friendly rule is:

If it is an animal or human voice, it is probably giseigo.
If it is a real sound from nature or an object, it is probably giongo.
If it describes a state, feeling, texture, movement, or atmosphere, it is probably gitaigo.

If you want the shorter two-way comparison, read: Giongo vs Gitaigo: What’s the Difference?.

Why these categories matter for English speakers

These categories matter because English onomatopoeia is usually narrower than Japanese onomatopoeia. In English, onomatopoeia usually means sound words like “buzz,” “bang,” “meow,” or “tick-tock.” Japanese has those, but it also has many mimetic words for things that do not make a literal sound.

For example:

Japanese word	Category	Why it matters
wan wan	giseigo	imitates a dog barking
zaa zaa	giongo	imitates heavy rain
ton ton	giongo	imitates light tapping
fuwa fuwa	gitaigo	describes fluffy texture
doki doki	gitaigo-like	describes a pounding heart
shiin	gitaigo-like	describes complete silence
zawa zawa	gitaigo-like / sound-related	describes restless atmosphere

The hard part is not memorizing the labels. The hard part is understanding what kind of scene each word belongs to.

For a broader introduction, read: Japanese Onomatopoeia: A Beginner’s Guide for English Speakers.

What is giseigo?

Giseigo is Japanese onomatopoeia that imitates voices from people or animals. These are voice-based words, such as a dog barking, a cat meowing, or a baby crying.

Common giseigo examples include:

Giseigo	Meaning	Scene
wan wan	dog barking	a dog barks
nyaan	cat meowing	a cat meows
kokekokkoo	rooster crowing	a rooster crows
moo moo	cow mooing	a cow makes a sound
chun chun	small bird chirping	birds chirp
waa waa	loud crying	a baby or child cries loudly

Examples:

Inu ga wan wan hoete iru.
The dog is barking.

Neko ga nyaan to naita.
The cat meowed.

Akachan ga waa waa naite iru.
The baby is crying loudly.

For English speakers, giseigo is usually the easiest category because it is closest to English animal sounds like “woof,” “meow,” and “cock-a-doodle-doo.” The sound may be different from English, but the concept is familiar.

What is giongo?

Giongo is Japanese onomatopoeia that imitates real sounds from nature, objects, or actions. These are sound words that you can usually hear in the scene.

Common giongo examples include:

Giongo	Meaning	Scene
zaa zaa	heavy rain	rain pouring down
potsu potsu	drops falling	rain beginning to fall
goro goro	rumbling	thunder
ton ton	light tapping	tapping on a door
don don	pounding or booming	drum or heavy knocking
gara gara	rattling	sliding door or rough sound
chirin chirin	small bell ringing	bicycle bell
buun	buzzing	bee, motor, machine
basha	splash	water splashing

Examples:

Ame ga zaa zaa futte iru.
The rain is pouring down.

Doa o ton ton tataita.
I tapped on the door.

Kaminari ga goro goro natte iru.
Thunder is rumbling.

Giongo is also fairly easy for English speakers because it imitates real sounds. The challenge is choosing the right word based on intensity, rhythm, and scene.

For example:

Rain scene	More natural word
heavy rain	zaa zaa
gentle quiet rain	shito shito
first small drops	potsu potsu
light scattered drops	para para

English may simply say “rain,” but Japanese can describe the sound and feeling of the rain more precisely.

What is gitaigo?

Gitaigo is Japanese mimetic language that describes states, conditions, textures, feelings, movement, or atmosphere. Gitaigo does not need to imitate a real sound.

Common gitaigo examples include:

Gitaigo	Meaning	Scene
fuwa fuwa	fluffy, airy	soft bread, pillow, cloud
beta beta	sticky	syrup on hands
neba neba	sticky and stretchy	natto or okra
tsuru tsuru	smooth and slippery	noodles or skin
sara sara	silky, smooth-flowing	hair or sand
doki doki	heart pounding	nervous or excited
waku waku	excited anticipation	looking forward to something
ira ira	irritated	waiting too long
shiin	complete silence	empty classroom
zawa zawa	restless atmosphere	uneasy crowd

Examples:

Kono pan wa fuwa fuwa da.
This bread is soft and fluffy.

Te ga beta beta suru.
My hands feel sticky.

Mensetsu no mae wa doki doki suru.
I feel nervous before an interview.

Gitaigo is usually the hardest category for English speakers because English does not normally call these “onomatopoeia.” In English, “fluffy,” “sticky,” “nervous,” and “silent” are not sound effects. In Japanese, many of these ideas can be expressed with sound-symbolic or mimetic words.

For more detail, read: Japanese Mimetic Words Explained: More Than Just Sound Effects.

Giseigo vs giongo vs gitaigo: the key difference

The key difference is the source of the expression. Giseigo comes from voices, giongo comes from real sounds, and gitaigo comes from states or sensory impressions.

Question	If yes	Likely type
Is it a human or animal voice?	Yes	Giseigo
Is it a real sound from nature, an object, or an action?	Yes	Giongo
Does it describe texture, feeling, movement, silence, or atmosphere?	Yes	Gitaigo
Does the meaning change by scene?	Sometimes	Check context

Examples:

Word	Is there a real sound?	Best category
wan wan	Yes, animal voice	Giseigo
nyaan	Yes, animal voice	Giseigo
zaa zaa	Yes, heavy rain	Giongo
ton ton	Yes, tapping	Giongo
fuwa fuwa	No	Gitaigo
beta beta	No	Gitaigo
doki doki	Not exactly	Gitaigo-like mimetic word
shiin	No, it describes silence	Gitaigo-like atmospheric word

This table is useful, but do not treat it as a rigid rule. Some words can shift depending on the scene.

Why gitaigo is usually the hardest type

Gitaigo is usually the hardest type because it describes sensations and states that English often explains with adjectives or full phrases.

For example:

English phrase	Natural Japanese expression
My heart is pounding	doki doki
I am looking forward to it	waku waku
My hands are sticky	beta beta
The room is completely silent	shiin
The crowd feels uneasy	zawa zawa
This bread is fluffy	fuwa fuwa
My head is pounding	gan gan

The problem is that a dictionary translation can hide nuance.

For example, sticky can become:

Word	Texture
beta beta	sticky, often unpleasant
neba neba	sticky and stretchy
mochi mochi	chewy and springy

And excited can become:

Word	Feeling
doki doki	heart-pounding excitement or nervousness
waku waku	happy anticipation
hara hara	anxious suspense

This is why English speakers should learn Japanese onomatopoeia by scene, not only by translation.

What about giyougo and gijougo?

You may also see more detailed categories such as giyougo and gijougo. These are often treated as subcategories related to gitaigo.

Type	Japanese	What it describes	Example
Giyougo	擬容語	movement or manner	yoro yoro
Gijougo	擬情語	feelings or emotions	waku waku
Gitaigo	擬態語	states or conditions	fuwa fuwa

Examples:

Kare wa yoro yoro aruite ita.
He was staggering as he walked.

Ryokou no mae wa waku waku suru.
I feel excited before a trip.

For beginners, it is usually enough to understand the three broad categories: giseigo, giongo, and gitaigo. Later, you can learn more detailed labels if you want a more precise linguistic understanding.

Examples by category

Here is a practical learner-friendly list.

Giseigo examples

Word	Meaning	Example sentence
wan wan	dog barking	Inu ga wan wan hoete iru.
nyaan	cat meowing	Neko ga nyaan to naita.
kokekokkoo	rooster crowing	Niwatori ga kokekokkoo to naita.
chun chun	bird chirping	Kotori ga chun chun naite iru.
waa waa	loud crying	Kodomo ga waa waa naite iru.

Giongo examples

Word	Meaning	Example sentence
zaa zaa	heavy rain	Ame ga zaa zaa futte iru.
ton ton	tapping	Doa o ton ton tataita.
don don	pounding	Taiko ga don don natta.
chirin chirin	bell ringing	Beru ga chirin chirin natta.
buun	buzzing	Hachi ga buun to tonde iru.

Gitaigo examples

Word	Meaning	Example sentence
fuwa fuwa	fluffy	Kono pan wa fuwa fuwa da.
beta beta	sticky	Te ga beta beta suru.
doki doki	heart pounding	Happyou no mae wa doki doki suru.
waku waku	excited anticipation	Ryokou no mae wa waku waku suru.
shiin	complete silence	Kyoushitsu ga shiin to shite iru.

For a broader beginner list, read: 50 Common Japanese Onomatopoeia Words You’ll Actually Use.

How to classify a Japanese onomatopoeia word

To classify a Japanese onomatopoeia word, start with the scene, not the English translation.

Use this simple process:

Ask whether the word represents a human or animal voice.
If yes, it is probably giseigo.
If not, ask whether it imitates a real sound.
If yes, it is probably giongo.
If not, ask whether it describes a state, feeling, texture, movement, or atmosphere.
If yes, it is probably gitaigo.

Examples:

Scene	Word	Category
dog barking	wan wan	giseigo
cat meowing	nyaan	giseigo
rain pouring	zaa zaa	giongo
door tapping	ton ton	giongo
soft bread	fuwa fuwa	gitaigo
sticky hands	beta beta	gitaigo
nervous heart	doki doki	gitaigo-like
silent room	shiin	gitaigo-like

This process works better than memorizing category labels in isolation.

Some words are flexible

Some Japanese onomatopoeia words are flexible and can change category depending on the scene. Goro goro is a useful example.

Scene	Meaning	Category tendency
thunder rumbling	rumbling sound	giongo
a rock rolling	rolling sound or movement	giongo / movement
someone lying around at home	lazing around	gitaigo-like state
something in your eye	gritty feeling	gitaigo-like sensation

Examples:

Kaminari ga goro goro natte iru.
Thunder is rumbling.

Ie de goro goro shite ita.
I was lazing around at home.

This flexibility is one reason Japanese onomatopoeia feels difficult. The word itself matters, but the scene matters more.

Common mistakes English speakers make

English speakers often make several mistakes when learning giseigo, giongo, and gitaigo.

Mistake 1: Treating all Japanese onomatopoeia as sound effects

Some words are sound effects, but many are not. Fuwa fuwa, beta beta, doki doki, and shiin are not ordinary sound effects.

Mistake 2: Ignoring giseigo

Animal and human voice words are often easy, so learners may skip them. But words like wan wan, nyaan, and waa waa appear often in children’s language, manga, anime, and casual contexts.

Mistake 3: Confusing giongo and gitaigo

If you expect every word to imitate a real sound, gitaigo becomes confusing. Words like fuwa fuwa and zawa zawa should be learned as scene and state words.

Mistake 4: Memorizing categories without examples

The categories are useful only when connected to real examples. Do not memorize “giseigo, giongo, gitaigo” as abstract labels. Attach each label to scenes.

Mistake 5: Translating too directly from English

One English word can map to several Japanese words. “Sticky” can be beta beta or neba neba. “Excited” can be doki doki or waku waku.

Mini quiz: giseigo, giongo, or gitaigo?

Try classifying these words.