PUKKU-RI ぷっくり
Meanings
Describes a small, soft-looking part swelling or bulging into a rounded shape.
Examples
The mosquito bite has made a small puffy swelling on my skin.
蚊に刺されて、皮膚がぷっくりふくらんでいる。
Whenever my daughter gets angry, she has a habit of puffing out her cheeks.
娘は怒るとほっぺをぷっくりとふくらませるのがクセだ。
The flower bud has swollen into a plump little shape.
花のつぼみがぷっくりとふくらんでいる。
Dogmatic Opinion
I often use PUKKU-RI for a localized condition of the skin, such as a burn or an insect bite.
The swelling is a small rounded part of a larger whole, rather than the entire object becoming bigger.
The word also works naturally with lips, cheeks, buds, and other softly rounded shapes, and it often gives a cute or appealing impression when the swelling is not pathological.
Proximate Expression
puffy
bulge
Related Words
For Japanese Learners
Puffy, plump, slightly swollen, puffed out, and rounded may fit. Lips or cheeks can be plump; an insect bite puffy or slightly swollen. PUKKU-RI usually focuses on one small rounded bulge rather than overall fullness.
