どきどきする
To be nervous / Heart pounds
Happyō no mae wa itsumo dokidoki suru.
→ I always get nervous before a presentation.
胸がどきどきする
Heart throbs / Heart pounds
Sukina hito o miru to, mune ga dokidoki suru.
→ My heart pounds when I see the person I like.
面接でどきどきする
To be nervous at an interview
Ashita wa mensetsu de dokidoki shite nemurenai.
→ I'm so nervous about tomorrow's interview that I can't sleep.
いらいら
Irritated / Frustrated
Matasarete iraira suru.
→ I'm getting irritated because I've been kept waiting.
渋滞でいらいらする
Frustrated by traffic jam
Basu ga jūtai de iraira suru.
→ I'm frustrated because the bus is stuck in traffic.
はきはき
Crisply / Clearly / Briskly
Kanojo wa hakihaki shite ite kimochi ga ii.
→ She speaks clearly and briskly, which is pleasant.
はきはきと答える
To answer clearly / To answer briskly
Sensei no shitsumon ni hakihaki to kotaeru.
→ Answer the teacher's question clearly.
彼女ははきはきして感じがいい
She is brisk and pleasant
Shinnyūshain no kanojo wa hakihaki shite kanji ga ii.
→ The new female employee is brisk and has a good vibe.
ぶつぶつ
Mumbling / Grumbling
Hitori de butsubutsu iu no wa hen da.
→ It's strange to mumble to yourself.
ぶつぶつ文句を言う
To grumble / To mutter complaints
Shigoto ni tsuite butsubutsu monku o iu.
→ Grumble complaints about work.
彼は何かぶつぶつ言っている
He is mumbling something
Kare wa nanika butsubutsu itte iru ga, kikitorenai.
→ He is mumbling something, but I can't catch it.
うろうろ
Loitering / Wandering aimlessly
Michi ni mayotte urouro suru.
→ I got lost and wandered around aimlessly.
変な男がうろうろしている
A strange man is loitering
Ie no mae o henna otoko ga urouro shite iru.
→ A strange man is loitering in front of the house.
ぶらぶら
Idling / Strolling / Dangling
Kyūjitsu wa ie de burabura shite iru.
→ I idle around at home on holidays.
街をぶらぶらする
To stroll around the town
Kaimono tsuide ni machi o burabura suru.
→ I stroll around the town while doing some shopping.
ぶらぶらゆれる
To dangle / To swing loosely
Kīhorudā ga burabura yureru.
→ The keychain is dangling loosely.
ぎりぎり
Barely / Just in time / At the last moment
Jikan girigiri ni tsuita.
→ I arrived just in time (at the last minute).
ぎりぎりで最終電車に間に合った
Barely made the last train
Hashitte, girigiri de saishū densha ni maniatta.
→ I ran and barely made the last train.
締め切りぎりぎりに願書を出した
Submitted the application just before the deadline
Mayotta sue, shimekiri girigiri ni gansho o dashita.
→ After much hesitation, I submitted the application just before the deadline.
ぴかぴか
Shiny / Sparkly / Glittering
Hoshi ga pikapika hikatte iru.
→ The stars are twinkling brightly.
靴をぴかぴかにみがく
To polish shoes until they shine
Mensetsu no tame ni, kutsu o pikapika ni migaku.
→ I polish my shoes until they shine for the interview.
のろのろ
Sluggishly / Slowly
Kame ga noronoro aruku.
→ The turtle walks sluggishly.
電車がのろのろ走っている
The train is moving slowly
Jiko no eikyō de, densha ga noronoro hashitte iru.
→ Due to the accident, the train is moving slowly.
ぺらぺら
Fluent / Thin / Chatty
Kare wa yoku perapera shaberu.
→ He chatters a lot.
秘密をぺらぺらしゃべる
To blab a secret fluently
Kare wa yotte himitsu o perapera shaberu.
→ He gets drunk and blabs secrets fluently.
英語がぺらぺらだ
Fluent in English
Tanaka-san wa eigo ga perapera da.
→ Tanaka-san is fluent in English.
ぺらぺらの紙
Thin/Flimsy paper
Kono nōto wa perapera no kami de dekiteiru.
→ This notebook is made of flimsy paper.
ぺこぺこ
Hungry / Starving
Hirugohan o nuita node, onaka ga pekopeko da.
→ I skipped lunch, so I'm starving.
おなかがぺこぺこだ
I'm starving
Shigoto ga owatte, onaka ga pekopeko da.
→ Work is over, and I'm starving.
ますます
Increasingly / More and more
Ame ga masumasu tsuyoku naru.
→ The rain is getting stronger and stronger.
物価はますます上がるだろう
Prices will likely rise even more
Korekara mo bukka wa masumasu agaru darō.
→ Prices will likely continue to rise even more from now on.
だんだん
Gradually / Little by little
Sora ga dandan kuraku natte kita.
→ The sky has gradually become dark.
だんだん寒くなりますね
It's getting colder gradually, isn't it
Jūichigatsu ni haitte, dandan samuku narimasu ne.
→ It's getting colder gradually since we entered November, isn't it.
どんどん
Rapidly / Steadily
Shigoto ga dondon susumu.
→ The work is progressing rapidly.
彼の日本語はどんどん上達している
His Japanese is improving rapidly
Benkyō no seika de, kare no nihongo wa dondon jōtatsu shite iru.
→ Thanks to his studies, his Japanese is improving rapidly.
そろそろ
Soon / It's about time
Sorosoro kaeru jikan da.
→ It's about time to go home.
そろそろ始めましょう
Let's start soon
Zen'in atsumatta node, sorosoro hajimemashō.
→ Since everyone has gathered, let's start soon.
もともと
Originally / From the start
Koko wa motomoto umi datta.
→ This place was originally the sea.
彼はもともと気の弱い人だった
He was originally a timid person
Tsuyogatte iru ga, kare wa motomoto ki no yowai hito datta.
→ He acts tough, but he was originally a timid person.
この時計はもともと安かったから、こわれても仕方がない
This watch was cheap to begin with, so it can't be helped if it breaks
Shūri suru yori kaikaeyō. Kono tokei wa motomoto yasukatta kara, kowaretemo shikata ga nai.
→ Let's buy a new one instead of repairing it. This watch was cheap to begin with, so it can't be helped if it breaks.
たまたま
By chance / Accidentally / Occasionally
Eki de tamatama sensei ni atta.
→ I met the teacher at the station by chance.
たまたま高校時代の友人に会った
Happened to meet a high school friend
Machi de tamatama kōkōjidai no yūjin ni atta.
→ I happened to meet a friend from high school in the city.
まあまあ
So-so / Passable
Taichō wa māma desu.
→ My health is so-so.
試験の結果はまあまあだった
The exam results were so-so
Waruku wa nai ga, shiken no kekka wa māma datta.
→ It wasn't bad, but the exam results were just so-so.
さまざま
Various / Diverse
Hito no kangae wa samazama da.
→ People's ideas are various.
さまざまな商品
Various products
Kono mise ni wa samazamana shōhin ga narande iru.
→ Various products are lined up in this store.
