ぺちゃくちゃ
Japanese
Etymology
Alteration from べちゃくちゃ (bechakucha), an onomatopoeia for a large number of people talking noisily.[1][2] The shift from initial /b/ to /p/ changes the meaning from an emphasis on noisy to an emphasis on lively. Compare English gabble, chatter, yackety-yak.
Also analyzable as a compound of root elements:
- ぺちゃ (pecha): onomatopoeia for lively talking, evocative of the sound of lips and tongues smacking; also onomatopoeia for the sound of water splashing against something.
- くちゃ (kucha): onomatopoeia for the sound of paper crumpling; by extension, indicates that something is being done in a confused or disorganized fashion.
Pronunciation
- (Tokyo) ぺちゃくちゃ [péꜜchàkùchà] (Atamadaka – [1])[2]
- IPA(key): [pe̞t͡ɕa̠kɯ̟ᵝt͡ɕa̠]
Adverb
ぺちゃくちゃ (katakana ペチャクチャ, rōmaji pechakucha)
- continuously and in a lively fashion (talking)
Related terms
→
- べちゃくちゃ (bechakucha): continuously and noisily (talking)
- ぺちゃぺちゃ (pechapecha): continuously and in a lively fashion (talking); splashingly
- くちゃくちゃ (kuchakucha): crumplingly, wrinklingly, in a confused or disorganized fashion
- めちゃくちゃ (mechakucha): all messed up
References
- 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
- 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN