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) ちゃちゃ [péꜜchàkùchà] (Atamadaka – [1])[2][3]
  • IPA(key): [pe̞t͡ɕa̠kɯ̟̊ᵝt͡ɕa̠]

Adverb

ぺちゃくちゃ or ペチャクチャ • (pechakucha) 

  1. continuously and in a lively fashion (talking)

References

  1. 1988, 国語大辞典(新装版) (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
  2. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN
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