About

What is Onomato Project?

Japanese is a language rich in onomatopoeia (擬音語) and mimetic words (擬態語), able to represent everything from the sound of lightly falling rain (potsu-potsu) to a scraggly beard (bosa-bosa). While in English one might describe the wind by attempting to mimic the sound itself, Japanese people tap into their readily available vocabulary: soya-soya for a light wind, byoo-byoo or pyoo-pyoo for a heavier one. It is our wish to share this unique and playful lexicon not only with students of Japanese, but also with people the world over, breaking down communication barriers with a large, resonant DON! That is the heart of the Onomato Project.

How can I help?

We welcome all contributions whether it be in the form of designs, illustrations, example sentences, and translations into other languages. Please feel to contact us via any of the methods listed below.

Credits

Concept/Code/Design: Andrew Robbins
Illustrations: Shoko Tsurue (鶴江祥子)
QA: Kana Yamamoto (山本佳奈)
Content: Shoko Tsurue (鶴江祥子), Aki Sunagawa (砂川亜季), Ryoko Aoki (青木涼子), Andrew Robbins
English definitions: EDICT