5 Thematic Groups of Japanese Mimetic Words for JLPT N3-N2

1. Body states and movement

No.	Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
1	ふらふら	furafura	Staggering, dizzy, unsteady on one’s feet
2	ぐらぐら	guragura	Wobbly, shaky, unstable
3	うろうろ	urouro	Wandering back and forth aimlessly, hanging around
4	ちょこちょこ	chokochoko	Taking quick little steps; doing something frequently
5	のろのろ	noronoro	Slow, sluggish
6	ぐるぐる	guruguru	Spinning round and round; revolving continuously
7	ころころ	korokoro	Rolling
8	ばたばた	batabata	Bustling about, flustered, in a rush
9	じたばた	jitabata	Flailing, struggling; panicking because one doesn’t know what to do
10	ひらひら	hirahira	Fluttering, floating lightly
11	ふらふら	furafura	Wandering unsteadily; wavering, easily swayed
12	すいすい	suisui	Smoothly, effortlessly, without obstacles
13	ばらばら	barabara	Scattered, in pieces, disjointed
14	ぐったり	guttari	Limp, worn out, exhausted
15	ぐっすり	gussuri	Sleeping soundly
16	ぼんやり	bon’yari	Absent-minded, spaced out; vague, faint
17	うとうと	utouto	Drowsy, dozing off
18	ごろごろ	gorogoro	Lounging around, doing nothing

2. Emotions and moods

No.	Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
1	はらはら	harahara	Anxious, on edge (suspense, worry)
2	どきどき	dokidoki	Heart pounding from nervousness, worry, or excitement
3	わくわく	wakuwaku	Excited, eagerly looking forward to something
4	いらいら	iraira	Irritated, impatient, cranky
5	しょんぼり	shonbori	Dejected, downcast, glum
6	うんざり	unzari	Fed up, sick and tired of something
7	もやもや	moyamoya	Vague, unsettled feeling; lingering doubt
8	そわそわ	sowasowa	Restless, fidgety, unable to sit still
9	ほっと	hotto	Relieved, letting out a sigh of relief
10	にこにこ	nikoniko	Smiling brightly, beaming
11	にっこり	nikkori	Giving a single warm smile
12	にやにや	niyaniya	Smirking, grinning to oneself (often at some thought)
13	へらへら	herahera	Grinning foolishly; smiling at inappropriate times
14	はっと	hatto	Suddenly startled; suddenly realizing something
15	ぎょっと	gyotto	Startled, taken aback by something unexpected
16	ぞっと	zotto	Shuddering with fear or disgust
17	うっかり	ukkari	Carelessly, absent-mindedly, making an inadvertent mistake
18	すっきり	sukkiri	Refreshed, relieved; clear, neat
19	さっぱり	sappari	Refreshed, clean-feeling; not at all (with negatives)
20	しみじみ	shimijimi	Deeply, keenly feeling; heartfelt emotion
21	じーん	jiin	Deeply moved, choked up
22	いきいき	ikiiki	Lively, full of vitality
23	くたくた	kutakuta	Worn out, exhausted
24	へとへと	hetoheto	Utterly drained after exertion
25	うっとり	uttori	Enchanted, entranced by beauty or something captivating
26	かんかん	kankan	Furious, fuming; blazing hot sun
27	ぷんぷん	punpun	Visibly angry; strong smell
28	くすくす	kusukusu	Giggling, chuckling softly
29	げらげら	geragera	Laughing loudly, unable to hold back
30	からから	karakara	Laughing out loud; bone-dry (depends on context)

3. Actions and ways of doing things

No.	Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
1	きちんと	kichinto	Neatly, properly; fully, in the right way
2	しっかり	shikkari	Firmly, solidly; seriously, responsibly
3	じっくり	jikkuri	Thoroughly, unhurriedly, taking enough time
4	そっと	sotto	Gently, softly, quietly
5	こっそり	kossori	Secretly, stealthily, so as not to be noticed
6	こそこそ	kosokoso	Sneakily, furtively; whispering or acting behind someone’s back
7	ひそひそ	hisohiso	Whispering so others can’t hear
8	じっと	jitto	Still, motionless; staring intently; waiting patiently
9	じろじろ	jirojiro	Staring, looking someone up and down
10	ちらっと	chiratto	Glancing quickly; catching a glimpse
11	さっと	satto	Quickly, in a flash; immediately
12	さっさと	sassato	Hurry up, quickly (often urging someone)
13	ぱっと	patto	Suddenly, quickly; lighting up
14	さっそく	sassoku	Right away, without delay
15	どんどん	dondon	Continuously, increasingly; progressing rapidly
16	ますます	masumasu	More and more, increasingly
17	ぐんぐん	gungun	Rapidly progressing or growing
18	ぐっと	gutto	Forcefully, suddenly; much more; deeply moved
19	ぎゅっと	gyutto	Tightly (squeezing, hugging, gripping)
20	どんどん	dondon	Boldly, proceeding continuously
21	せっせと	sesseto	Diligently, industriously
22	こつこつ	kotsukotsu	Steadily, persistently, bit by bit
23	てきぱき	tekipaki	Briskly, efficiently, handling work neatly
24	のんびり	nonbiri	Leisurely, relaxed, unhurried
25	ぼやぼや	boyaboya	Spacing out, being careless, not paying attention
26	うっかり	ukkari	Carelessly, inadvertently
27	すっかり	sukkari	Completely, entirely; totally changed
28	ざっと	zatto	Roughly, briefly; approximately
29	じゅうぶん (十分)	juubun	Sufficient, enough (not a reduplicated word)
30	たっぷり	tappuri	Plenty, abundantly, generously
31	ぎっしり	gisshiri	Tightly packed, crammed full
32	ぴったり	pittari	Fitting snugly; exactly; perfectly suitable
33	すんなり	sunnari	Smoothly, easily, without trouble
34	あっさり	assari	Simply, lightly; giving up easily; mild-flavored
35	きっぱり	kippari	Decisively, clearly, without hesitation
36	はっきり	hakkiri	Clearly
37	しっかり	shikkari	Carefully, firmly, properly
38	ちゃんと	chanto	Properly, correctly, fully

4. Objects, surfaces, and shapes

No.	Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
1	ぴかぴか	pikapika	Shiny, sparkling, squeaky clean
2	きらきら	kirakira	Sparkling, glittering
3	ぎらぎら	giragira	Glaring, dazzling, glinting fiercely
4	つるつる	tsurutsuru	Smooth and slippery, glossy
5	すべすべ	subesube	Silky smooth, soft (especially skin)
6	ざらざら	zarazara	Rough, gritty
7	べたべた	betabeta	Sticky, clammy; clinging to someone
8	ねばねば	nebaneba	Gooey, viscous, sticky
9	さらさら	sarasara	Silky, smooth, dry; flowing with a murmur (depends on context)
10	ふわふわ	fuwafuwa	Fluffy, soft, light as air
11	ぼろぼろ	boroboro	Tattered, in shreds; worn out
12	しわしわ	shiwashiwa	Wrinkled, creased
13	ぺらぺら	perapera	Paper-thin; fluent in a foreign language
14	ぺこぺこ	pekopeko	Starving (stomach empty); bowing repeatedly to apologize or show deference
15	かさかさ	kasakasa	Dry, rough (skin lacking moisture); dry rustling sound
16	からから	karakara	Bone-dry; parched throat
17	でこぼこ	dekoboko	Bumpy, uneven, rugged
18	がらがら	garagara	Empty, deserted; rattling sound; hoarse voice
19	ぐらぐら	guragura	Swaying, wobbling; boiling vigorously
20	ぼろぼろ	boroboro	Ragged, torn to pieces, badly damaged
21	ぴんぴん	pinpin	Healthy, full of energy; lively
22	ぴったり	pittari	Snug, a perfect fit, exactly right
23	そっくり	sokkuri	Spitting image; the whole thing, intact (in some usages)
24	ばっちり	bacchiri	Perfect, spot-on, just right
25	くっきり	kukkiri	Sharply defined, distinct, clear-cut

5. Sounds, weather, and phenomena

No.	Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
1	ざあざあ	zaazaa	Rain pouring down; water gushing
2	しとしと	shitoshito	Rain falling softly and steadily
3	ぽつぽつ	potsupotsu	Drop by drop, spot by spot; rain starting to fall sparsely
4	どしゃどしゃ	doshadosha	Rain or water pouring down heavily
5	ごろごろ	gorogoro	Rumbling thunder; things rolling heavily
6	ぴゅうぴゅう	pyuupyuu	Wind whistling
7	びしょびしょ	bishobisho	Soaking wet, drenched
8	ぐっしょり	gusshori	Completely soaked
9	ぺらぺら	perapera	Sound of paper lightly flipping; fluent in a foreign language
10	ぴんぽん	pinpon	Ding-dong (doorbell)
11	こんこん	konkon	Knock-knock (on a door); dry cough
12	ぺこぺこ	pekopeko	Starving; bowing repeatedly
13	ごくごく	gokugoku	Gulping down drinks in big swallows
14	どんどん	dondon	Booming sound; progressing rapidly
15	じめじめ	jimejime	Damp, humid, unpleasantly moist
16	むしむし	mushimushi	Hot and humid, muggy
17	かんかん	kankan	Blazing hot sun; furious
18	すっかり	sukkari	Completely, entirely (adverb)

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