So, first, I must explain my blog title. Anyone who knows me well knows that I LOVE Japan. I served an LDS mission there as well as spent a year there teaching English at a college and then at a business school. Not only do I love Japan and the Japanese people, but I also love the Japanese language. The Japanese have a lot of onomotopoeiac words that are sugoku tanoshii/tons of fun.

Just as a gee-whizzer, here is a list of some common japanese onomotopoeiac words. (Note: This is completely self-indulgent I realize, but I figure what are blogs afterall but a bit of self-indulgent rambling. . . no offense intended . . . just my little opinion.)

achi kochi = here and there
ban ban = plenty
bari bari =the sound of tearing (e.g., paper), also used to describe being very busy.
bara bara = scattered
basa basa = unkempt hair
bashi bashi = the sound of smacking someone on the head
bera bera = chatting, rattling
bichi bichi = flopping, smacking
bishi = the sound of coming to attention, coming together, or getting into the proper order
boin boin = a well-endowed woman
boki boki = cracking a twig or one's knuckles
bo bo = the sound of a fire burning
boko boko = the sound of hitting something (someone) hard.
boro boro = the sound of a large object (like a barrel) rolling; also ragtag, or worn out
bura bura = staggering around
busu busu = the sound of stabbing
butsu butsu = mumbling, whispering
chika chika = flickering light (see pika pika) eyes tired from too much computer or TV
chaku chaku = steadily
choko choko = always moving around, toddling
deko bako = bumpy
doki doki = the sound of a heart beating fast from excitement (at one time Megumi Hayashibara had a radio program called ``Doki Doki Station'')
don don = building up of events, progression of events, little by little
dosun = the sound of something falling with a thud
dosun dosun = the sound of stomping
fusa fusa = a full and attractive head of hair
fuwa fuwa = fluffy, but also cozy, pleasant
gaku gaku = knees shaking in fear
gara gara = almost empty
gari gari = the sound of grinding or scraping
gasa gasa = dry, rough skin the sound of leaves or papers rustling
gata gata = trembling with cold (humans) vibrations
gatsu gatsu = hungrily, voraciously
gaya gaya = crowded
gera gera = loud laughter
gero gero = ``ribbit'' --- the sound a frog makes (in Card Captor Sakura a pun on gero gero is applied to Kero-chan's name)
giri giri = just barely, just in time, ``by the skin of one's teeth''
gito gito = being oily
gocha gocha = the state of disorder common to apartments nagging
gohhon = the sound of someone sneezing
goro goro (boro boro/poro poro) = to laze about, the sound of an upset stomach, the loud rumble of lightning or an avalanche
goshi goshi = the sound of washing clothes vigorously by hand
gucha gucha = soft and wet, an awful mess
guru guru = going around and around in circles
guzu guzu = lazily, slowly
guu guu = the sound of snoring; also the sound of stomach rumbles
gyaa gyaa = the sound of a tantrum
hara hara = heart going pit a-pat, nervousness (see doki doki). The sound made when one is swaying, about to faint.
hou bou = here and there (everywhere)
iki iki = vividly
ira ira = the state of being frustrated
iro iro = this and that, variety, variously.
iyo iyo = more and more (at last)
jime jime = clamminess
jiku jiku = oozing
jiro jiro = to stare
kacha kacha/kata kata = the sound of small things clattering
kan kan = very angry
kara kara = very dry
kari kari = the sound of someone scratching their head in puzzlement
kera kera/keta keta = laughter
kira kira = glitter and sparkle
kokekokko = cock-a-doodle-doo
kowa kowa = From kowai, scared. An expression of being scared.
kusu kusu = giggling
kuyo kuyo = worry about, mope, brood
kyoro kyoro = looking around restlessly
mago mago = confused
masu masu = more or less, increasing
mecha mecha = messed up, illogical, unreasonable
meki meki = the state of making rapid progress
mera mera = the sound/state of a fire blazing up
meso meso = sobbing, sniffling
miin miin = cicada
mishi mishi = the sound of creaking
mogu mogu = the sound of eating (perhaps the source of the name of the character Mogglemoggle in Dokkoidar, or at least the source of one of the ways his superior mis-remembers his name).
mori mori = doing something willlingly
moto moto = originally, by nature, from the start
mou mou = the sound a cow makes
muka muka = a sound someone makes when they are disgusted
niko niko = smiling
nita nita = smirking
niya niya = grinning
nyao = the sound a cat makes
pachi pachi = clapping hands
paku paku = eat in big mouth fulls, take big bites
pan pan = pounding (see pon pon); also, a full stomach
pecha kucha = chattering
peko peko = to be very hungry
pera pera = fluent in a language (pera pera appears in a joke in Azumanga Daioh: a foreigner approaches Nyamo-sensei and Yukari-sensei and tries to talk to them. His speech consists solely of "Pera pera" repeated over and over again).
pero pero = licking (e.g., lollipops). Perhaps the origin of the name of the Miyazawa dog in Kare Kano?
pichi pichi = the state of being young, fresh, vigorous
pii pii pii = whining, puling (also used to describe bird-song)
pika pika = glitter, twinkle (spic and span)
piku piku = twitching
piyo piyo = chirping of small birds
pocha pocha = splash in water
poka poka = the state of being nice and warm
pon pon = the sound of drumming. The Takahata film ``Pon Poko'' is named after the sound that tanuki are said to make by drumming on their rotund stomaches.
poro poro (goro goro/boro boro)
the sound of small objects (pebbles, raindrops) rolling down. In the title of Takahata's film Omohide poro poro it is memories that roll down like raindrops.
potsu potsu = the state of small drops falling sporadically
pun pun = A strong smell. Also an expression of anger, like saying "boo, hiss" (or, I suppose, "This stinks!").
raku raku = easily
riin = the sound/state of someone staring
saga saga = the state of being sarcastic
shiku shiku = the sound one makes when crying
tama tama = unexpectedly
teka teka = greasy hair
ten ten = like dots
ton ton (pon pon) = the sound of someone knocking on the door
tsuru tsuru = slippery, smoth
tsuya tsuya = glossy
uro uro = stumble
wai wai = noisy exhuberance
wan wan = the sound a dog makes
zuki zuki =a painful condition

If you have made it this far, you can see for yourself what pika pika means and can interpret for yourself what my title means.
Smiles,
Julie

P.S. If you like this list, take a look at "Japanese sound effects and what they mean".