JapanNewbie

Giongo-Gitaigo

Japanese 101: Giongo and Gitaigo

Our next iPhone Application to help you beef up your Japanese skills is now available! The application name is “Japanese 101: Giongo and Gitaigo”, and this app will introduce, well, giongo and gitaigo!

Giongo and gitaigo are essential and fun parts of the Japanese language. Basically giongo are Japanese words that mimic sounds. In English we have words like, “bang” and “pow” which are called onomatopoeia, and similarly Japanese has giongo.

Some common giongo include “baan” and “dokan” which both describe loud sounds like explosions. Gitaigo are words that are often based on sounds and describe a state of being. In English these words are called mimetic words. For example, in Japanese “gyuu gyuu” is a gitaigo that describes the situation in which something is squished and packed in tight, like people in a rush hour Tokyo commuter train.

Here is an example and some sound bytes straight from the app.

ぎゅうぎゅう。
Gyuu gyuu.

And we also supply an example sentence.

You can study these Giongo and Gitaigo phrases in two different ways with this application.

1) Study Pages: See a list of the phrases and expressions on one convenient, scrollable page organized by category. You can drill down to see a phrase and an image that will help you visualize the meaning. You can touch to hear the vocabulary item and example sentence spoken by a native Japanese voice actress at native speed. Each page also includes cultural notes that give you a bit more background behind the phrases.

2) Quiz Mode: Select one or more categories and random multiple-choice questions will be generated from those categories. Test your knowledge in a fun and interactive way. After the quiz you can review the phrases you missed.

Learning giongo and gitaigo can really make your Japanese sound more native and natural. It’s nearly impossible to go through a day in Japan without hearing them, so making them a part of your vocabulary is an essential part of learning Japanese.

Giongo and gitaigo are not only useful but they’re a lot of fun too. The sounds often seem comical and cute to non-native speakers, and they are frequently used in Anime and Manga. Mastering a good variety of giongo and gitaigo will really bring your spoken and written Japanese to life.

Check out Japanese 101: Giongo and Gitaigo in the iTunes App Store now!

Looking forward to your feedback!
ぼやぼやせずにパパっとダウンロードして！

- Harvey