Welcome to HL Creates – Japanese onomatopoeia Resources and

information website.

Japanese Onomatopoeia

Japanese sound and action word phrases are in my opinion the words that bring the language to life. These expressions can be broken down into those of onomatopoeic and mimetic expressions.

Onomatopoeias can be defined as the formation or use of words such as buzz or murmur that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to. Two sub divisions of onomatopoeias are those of animal or farm animal sounds and sounds of nature.

On the other hand, mimetic expressions are word phrases that imitate or represents aspects of the sensible world, especially human actions, in literature and art.

Often used in comics, animations, TV commercials, and advertisements, onomatopoeias are an integral part of the Japanese language.

By learning these useful phrases, you will be able to express yourself more vividly and accurately in Japanese. In addition you will be able to better understand the various sound and action effects that are used in Japanese manga and anime. Some examples of this usage might include words that express the shattering of a window or the sound of powerful punches and gun blasts being delivered during an intense battle.

Although these expressions are commonly used in newspaper articles and literature, I think having knowledge of such expressions will be most useful when chit-chating with friends and in other situations where the use of colloquial Japanese would be appropriate.

This site includes information to keep you up to date on the best Japanese learning resources and on recent usage trends of these poetic expressions. It also includes pronunciation charts, audio files, and open discussions that you can learn from and also feel free to contribute to or post a question to.

Currently this site is in romaji but soon I hope to have a kana/kanji version of the site up as well.  Be on the look out for my upcoming newsletter series and the release of my new book.

Please enjoy the resources we have provided and feel free to make suggestions for improvement.