Onomatopoeia

And continuing with the theme of SOUNDS....

The other day we had fun trading onomatopoeia with a friend who is learning English.

Some of the most common word-sounds in Japanese are:

doki doki (dough-key, dough-key) =  nervous (like the sound of a beating heart)

pecha-kucha (peh cha coo cha) = the sound of girls giggling and chatting

za za (zah zah) = the sound of heavy rain

waku waku (wa coo wa coo) = excited

goku goku (go coo go coo) - glug glug (while drinking)

And then we got talking about the sounds animals make!

wan wan = ruff ruff
nyaa nyaa (knee-yah, knee-yah) = meow meow

And my favorite:

ko ke ko kou (coh kay coh coooooh) = cock-a-doodle-do!

Can you think of some onomatopoeia in English? :)

Small dogs

Inu (pronounced "ee-new") is the Japanese word for dog.  We see so many small dogs here!  In four weeks, I have seen one Black Lab, and Tommy has spotted a Husky, but every single day we see countless small - even tiny - dogs.  Japanese people really love their small dogs!  Most apartment buildings have a rule that you can keep a dog in the apartment only if it can be carried in your arms when it is full grown.   Many apartment buildings, like ours, don't allow pets at all.

 I really got a laugh when I walked out of the grocery store to see these two creatures peeking out of a stroller! 

This dog waits patiently and alertly for his owner to return from the store across the street.

I couldn't resist asking for a photo of this tiny dog.  Its owner was pleased and proud, I think, that a "foreigner" like me was interested in her dog. 

This little guy waits in a bicycle basket while his owner shops.

Most dogs do get walked.  It's harder to get photos of dogs being walked, though!