2. Nature: water, wind, snow and petals
Watch on YouTube (Spanish explanations) · Nature
Notice how water and wind move. しんしん and ひらひら can describe a scene with no audible sound.
ぽつぽつ
Scattered raindrops falling one by one.
雨が ぽつぽつ ふって きました。
A few drops of rain have started to fall.
ぽたぽた often describes water dripping from a tap or another point.
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Open the media fileぽたぽた
Water dripping repeatedly, drop by drop.
じゃぐちから 水が ぽたぽた おちます。
Water drips from the tap.
For a few scattered drops of rain, ぽつぽつ is the closer match.
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Open the media fileそよそよ
A gentle breeze blowing.
風が そよそよ ふいて います。
A gentle breeze is blowing.
ビュービュー suggests strong, noisy wind.
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Open the media fileビュービュー
The howling or whistling of strong wind.
風が ビュービュー ふいて います。
The wind is howling.
そよそよ is a soft breeze, without this forceful noise.
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Open the media fileザブーン
A large wave crashing with a splash.
波が ザブーンと 岩に ぶつかります。
A wave crashes against the rocks.
ちゃぷちゃぷ describes smaller, gentler movements of water.
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Open the media fileちゃぷちゃぷ
Gentle splashing or lapping of water.
足で 水を ちゃぷちゃぷ させます。
I gently splash the water with my feet.
Unlike ザブーン, this is not the crash of a large wave.
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Open the media fileしんしん
Snow falling quietly in a still scene.
雪が しんしんと ふって います。
Snow is falling silently.
しんしん evokes quiet snowfall; it is not a literal snow sound.
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Open the media fileひらひら
Something thin and light fluttering through the air.
花びらが ひらひら おちます。
Petals flutter down.
This describes movement, even when there is no sound.
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Open the media fileTry it
At night, snow falls steadily into a quiet, still landscape.
Show the answer
Answer: しんしん.
The hiragana and katakana spellings here are presentation choices. Other spellings are possible; a word’s script alone does not determine its meaning.