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Quiz about Waku Waku Japanese Onomatopoeia

'Waku Waku' Japanese Onomatopoeia Quiz

You don't need even need to speak Japanese to try to guess the meaning of these everyday onomatopoeic expressions! Have fun...

A multiple-choice quiz by wajo. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
wajo

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
102,636

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
2977

Last 3 plays: Guest 81 (9/10), Guest 75 (9/10), Guest 98 (5/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The 'waku waku' in the title of this quiz might describe how you feel on the plane as you head off on your first trip to Japan. It means... Hint

completely bored

thrilled and excited

ravenously hungry

fast asleep

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. You're used to dogs barking 'woof woof' or 'bow wow' in English, but now you're in Japan what do Japanese dogs say? Hint

chun chun

nya nya

wan wan

kero kero

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. You're having a day out in Tokyo with friends and one of them says she's feeling 'peko peko'. Where might you head to next? Hint

a bookshop

a sushi bar

the hospital

the beach

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. You see a group of children heading home from school. Their parents would be glad to know that they are 'niko niko', which means... Hint

being quiet and reserved

smiling happily

wearing their hats

skipping

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. After commenting on the school children, your friends compliment you on the fluency of your Japanese, which they describe as... Hint

noso noso

pera pera

yura yura

niya niya

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. Another animal question...What kind of farm animal says 'buu buu'?

Answer: (If this animal turns up on your dinner plate it's called 'butaniku'.)

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Those school children are back again and quite interested in the foreigner in their midst. You could ask them to "jiro jiro minaide kudasai" which means 'please stop... Hint

treading on my toes

prodding me

staring at me

winking at me

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. You're sitting in a park now and a toddler nearby is banging repeatedly on his toy drum. What sound does it make? Hint

jito jito

gera gera

shizu shizu

don don

9. Your friend introduces you to his mother who asks you if you're getting used to life in Japan ("Mo naremashita ka?"). You could answer "sukoshi zutsu" (little by little), or use which other expression with a similar meaning? Hint

ton ton

dan dan

goso goso

kibi kibi

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Your friends have come over for a little sayonara party. As they stand up to leave they might say "iki iki!"(which means 'let's go!') True or False?

True

False

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Most Recent Scores

Apr 13 2024 : Guest 81: 9/10
Mar 16 2024 : Guest 75: 9/10
Mar 10 2024 : Guest 98: 5/10
Feb 25 2024 : Guest 107: 5/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The 'waku waku' in the title of this quiz might describe how you feel on the plane as you head off on your first trip to Japan. It means...

Answer: thrilled and excited

2. You're used to dogs barking 'woof woof' or 'bow wow' in English, but now you're in Japan what do Japanese dogs say?

Answer: wan wan

Japanese cats say 'nya nya', frogs go 'kero kero' and sparrows chirp 'chun chun'.

3. You're having a day out in Tokyo with friends and one of them says she's feeling 'peko peko'. Where might you head to next?

Answer: a sushi bar

'Peko peko' means to be ravenously hungry.

4. You see a group of children heading home from school. Their parents would be glad to know that they are 'niko niko', which means...

Answer: smiling happily

5. After commenting on the school children, your friends compliment you on the fluency of your Japanese, which they describe as...

Answer: pera pera

If they were describing each other's speech they would mean that they were chattering rather glibly, but with regard to a foreign language 'pera pera' means fluently.

6. Another animal question...What kind of farm animal says 'buu buu'?

Answer: pig

'Buu buu' doesn't sound much like a pig's grunt to me , but then neither does 'oink oink'!

7. Those school children are back again and quite interested in the foreigner in their midst. You could ask them to "jiro jiro minaide kudasai" which means 'please stop...

Answer: staring at me

'Jiro jiro' means to stare rudely. This is more likely to happen out in the country - where there are fewer foreigners - than in Tokyo. I wouldn't really say this to curious children by the way!

8. You're sitting in a park now and a toddler nearby is banging repeatedly on his toy drum. What sound does it make?

Answer: don don

Native English speakers will probably find this kind of onomatopoeia that mimics a sound more familiar than those which suggest actions or even emotions.

Answer: dan dan

Dan dan means 'gradually, little by little'. It's written in kanji as 'step step'. So 'step-by-step'.

10. Your friends have come over for a little sayonara party. As they stand up to leave they might say "iki iki!"(which means 'let's go!') True or False?

Answer: False

Iki iki means 'lively' and comes from ikiru (to live) not iku (to go). Your guests are more likely to say 'soro soro'which is an expression that means 'I am about to do something'.
I hope you've enjoyed your onomapopoeic visit to Japan. If you'd like to learn more Japanese onomatopoeia I recommend Gomi Taro's "Illustrated Dictionary of Japanese Onomatopoeic Expressions". Ja mata ne.

Source: Author wajo

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor thejazzkickazz before going online.
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