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2022.05.20

Start with these ○っ○り words

What are ○っ○り words?

Japanese is especially rich in onomatopoeia. In English, expressions such as “bow-wow,” “gulp,” and “click” imitate sounds. Japanese does this too—but Japanese onomatopoeia goes much further. It can describe feelings, textures, movements, appearances, physical conditions, and even situations that make no sound at all.

○っ○り

Among these expressions is a curious family of words with the same distinctive rhythm:

○ + っ + ○ + り
すっきりsukkirirefreshed / clear
ぴったりpittariexactly right / a perfect fit
しっとりshittorimoist / soft / subdued
ぐったりguttariexhausted / limp
こっそりkossorisecretly / unnoticed

170 words, 170 different nuances

This site collects 170 Japanese ○っ○り expressions. Some are words Japanese people use constantly without thinking about them. Others belong to particular situations, or are unusual or old-fashioned.

⭐ understood, but not often used⭐⭐ frequent in particular situations⭐⭐⭐ very commonly used

More than a dictionary

A dictionary can tell you what a word means. But words such as しっくり, すっきり, ぴったり, and うっとり often carry a feeling or image that is difficult to understand from a definition alone.

That is what this site is about. We use illustrations, examples, pronunciation, and a deliberately personal point of view to explore what each ○っ○り word actually feels like in Japanese. These are not absolute rules: they are the impressions of one Tokyo-born Japanese speaker. Even among native speakers, the feel of a word can vary a little from person to person. That small amount of messiness is part of what makes language interesting.

See it

Use illustrations and situations to get an immediate feel for a word.

Hear it

Listen to the Japanese pronunciation and learn the rhythm with the meaning.

Feel the nuance

Go beyond one-word translations with examples, interpretation, and natural English equivalents.

Explore all 170 words →

All 170 ○っ○り words

Search by Japanese, romanization, or meaning. Choose a word to open the full entry.

170 words

What is Onomatopedia?

Onomatopoeia is an expression like “bow wow“　 “gulp“　 or  “click “.

In Japanese, they are expressed as “wan wan“, “goku goku“, and “kachi“, respectively.

Thus, in addition to imitating actual sounds, onomatopoeia is a sensory phoneticization of a situation or condition for which no sound is made.

According to one theory, there are approximately 2,000 to 4,500 onomatopoeic words in Japanese.

On the other hand, English is said to have several hundred words, and compared to English, Japanese has a very large number of onomatopoeia.

On this site, 170 Japanese expressions in the form of

“○っ○り”＝”○ tsu（ꞯ）○ri （ɾʲi）”  are explained.

Assari　あっさり

 

Sukkiri　すっきり

 

Yuttari　ゆったり

 

Let me explain the images that cannot be grasped from a dictionary alone,

using illustrations and our own prejudice.

“○っ○り”　＝　“○tsu（ꞯ）○ri （ɾʲi）” List（Hepburn romanization）

⭐️：It’s communicated, but not used much.

⭐️⭐️：Limited use in limited situations, but frequent.

⭐️⭐️⭐️：: Very often used（unconsciously）.

 

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