Occasionally I get an urge to build up my language skills. This was brought home when I saw this guy's translation of "Botchan" and started to think that I'd like to better my reading skills. This led to an investigation of electronic dictionaries vs. printed ones and I ended up pulling the "New Crown Japanese-English Dictionary" off my shelf and opening it up. It opened to the "p" section and I was amazed at the amount of onomatopoeia. So many of the entries are things like paripari and panpan.
For your enjoyment here are some of them and their English equivalents:
pachapacha - splash
pachipachi - crackle
pakapaka - clop-clop
pakupaku - munch
panpan - crack/bang
pappa - puff, puff
parapara - patter of rain
paripari - crisp
patan - slam
patapata - flapping/fluttering
petchakucha - chatter
pekopeko - empty
perapera - flimsy/also fluent
perori - to lick up
pachapacha - splash
petapeta - slap as with walking with bare feet
picha-picha - lap as waves against the shore
piichiku-piichiku - chirp
pichi-pichi - young and lively
pika-pika - glitter/sparkle/twinkle
pikari - flash as lightning
piku-piku - twinge
pii-pii - whistle
piri-piri - to sting
piyo-piyo - peep like a chick
poka-poka - to grow comfortably warm
pokin - break/snap
pokkuri - to pop off suddenly/die
pon - to come out with a pop
ponpon - bang! bang!
po-po- - hooting
potapota - drip drip
potsu-potsu - drip in small drops/bit by bit
punpun - smell strongly/reek
puripuri - see punpun
pyokon - bob ones head as in a bow
pyonpyon - skip/hop as a rabbit
pyuu - whiz/whistle/hiss
Bye-bye for now.
