FUKKU-RI ふっくり
Meanings
Describes something as softly and pleasantly rounded or plumped up.
Examples
Now that she is out of the hospital and able to eat again, her cheeks are starting to fill out a little.
退院してご飯が食べられるようになって、ほほも少しふっくりしてきた。
Dogmatic Opinion
In real life, FUKKURA is used far more often than FUKKU-RI.
The image is generally positive: freshly baked bread, freshly cooked rice, or bedding that has just been aired in the sun.
Japanese also has several gentler expressions for describing a heavier body—POCCHA-RI, FUKKURA, FUKUYO-KA, and others—rather than using a blunt word such as “fat.”
For me, FUKKU-RI belongs to that family of soft, pleasant fullness.
Proximate Expression
fluffy
plump
puffy
Related Words
For Japanese Learners
Softly plump, rounded, full, puffed up, or filled out may fit. This form is much less common than FUKKURA, so learners should recognize the relationship rather than assume FUKKU-RI is the standard everyday choice.
