Could Onomatopoeia Really Help Solve Social Issues!? Exploring Its Potential with Linguist Professor Kimi Akita

Akita: That's right. Still, globally speaking, Japanese seems to be a language with a particularly high number of onomatopoeic words. Abroad, they're also common in languages like Korean, Indian, and African ones. One theory suggests that cultures with animistic beliefs—where even stones are seen as having life—tend to have more onomatopoeia. The idea is that when you personify a stone as "talking," you might hear its "voice" as "korokoro." But this is just one theory.

Linguistically significant is that Japanese onomatopoeia primarily function as adverbs. The "tobo tobo" in "tobo tobo aruku" (to walk slowly) is an adverb modifying the verb "aruku" (to walk). English has the verb "plod," which means "to walk slowly and heavily." This combines "plod" and "walk" into one word. Since adverbs tend to carry more emphatic force than verbs, Japanese onomatopoeia tends to retain its onomatopoeic quality more easily. Furthermore, onomatopoeic adverbs are constantly being created, which may be why Japanese has more onomatopoeia than English.

──So English doesn't use onomatopoeia much, you say.

Akita: At least when speaking to children, many languages—not just English—use onomatopoeic words. In English, for example, a dog's bark is "bowwow." But when it comes to using them with adults, as Japanese does, that's not the case. One study found that in Japanese, onomatopoeia appears about once every six sentences in everyday adult conversation. In contrast, looking at spoken language databases, English has it appear only about once every 300 sentences. This shows Japanese uses onomatopoeia far more frequently than English, making it a much more familiar part of daily speech.

──I see. What effects or benefits do you think onomatopoeia has?

Akita: I see two main benefits. First, they efficiently convey multiple sensations in a single word. Onomatopoeia is "multisensory." For example, the phrase "silky hair" expresses both the tactile sensation of silkiness and the visual impression of smoothness. Or, if you imagine hearing it rustle softly when you put your ear close, it also conveys auditory information. Furthermore, it includes a sixth-sense quality like "pleasant." Without onomatopoeia, you'd have to say something like "dry and smooth hair with a pleasant texture that gently sways in the breeze" – a much longer, less efficient way to communicate.

Another advantage is its creative potential. Recently, product copy often features onomatopoeia combining two sensations, like "fluffy-mochi texture" or "juicy-melting." The interesting part is that even upon first hearing these, Japanese speakers can imagine the sensation based on their language experience.

──Given their efficiency and creativity, onomatopoeia seems highly applicable in advertising expression. Copywriter Namiki, do you consciously consider onomatopoeia when crafting copy?

Namiki: I do, and they're incredibly reliable in copywriting. The amazing thing about onomatopoeia is how quickly and vividly they convey a product's features or the state of something to people from diverse backgrounds. A symbolic example comes to mind: not long ago, there was an ad using various onomatopoeia like "thud" or "foggy" to visualize the pain and discomfort of menstrual cramps.

Sato: That's true. Surprisingly, many classic ads also use onomatopoeia. "Sparkling first-year students," "Gohon! That's Ryukakusan," and others like "Slowly simmered soup" come to mind. Since they're words close to sensory experience, they seem like a great fit for copywriting!

Communication within a 2-meter radius as a catalyst for solving social issues

──Focusing on onomatopoeia through the lens of solving social issues felt like a truly novel idea. What led to the planning of this "Onomatopoeia Prescription Exhibition"?

Sato: The starting point was wondering: Could onomatopoeia help solve social issues? While various initiatives exist globally to achieve the SDGs, tackling social issues often feels like confronting a huge theme, making people feel a bit daunted. Instead, I consciously focus on devising measures that can be approached more casually, starting from something closer to home. How can we make SDGs and social issues feel personally relevant? I believe things within our own 2-meter radius can be effectively utilized.

──And you thought words, onomatopoeia, were one such tool.

Sato: While reading Professor Akita's book "The Essence of Language" (Chuo Koron Shinsha), I sensed the potential of onomatopoeia. Researching real-world examples revealed products like one that visualizes sports competition sounds using onomatopoeia for people with hearing difficulties. This led me to feel that onomatopoeia holds hidden social utility as a universal language accessible to many people. I wanted to create a space where everyone could consider the practicality and potential of onomatopoeia, which led to this exhibition. For supervision, I asked Professor Akita, who has researched onomatopoeia for 20 years, and Professor Mutsumi Imai of Keio University, an expert in cognitive science.

──Professor Akita, what were your thoughts when asked to supervise?

Akita: While there have been exhibitions and literary events themed around onomatopoeia before, most have leaned heavily toward an artistic presentation. The concept behind the event planned by Mr. Sato and his team differed from previous events; it aimed to concretely demonstrate the social practicality of onomatopoeia. I appreciated this purpose and accepted the role of supervisor.

Another reason I agreed to supervise is to elevate the status of onomatopoeia. I've always found it frustrating that onomatopoeia often carries an image of being "childish words," perhaps because they frequently appear in picture books or are used when speaking to children. Furthermore, using onomatopoeia can sometimes make people think you have a limited vocabulary. Linking onomatopoeia with children is both accurate and a prejudice. Using onomatopoeia can actually enrich expression in conversation. I wanted people to understand the merits of onomatopoeia better.

Namiki: I agree. We also wanted to elevate the social value of onomatopoeia, even just a little, and make it something people use more actively.

──The motif for the "Onomatopoeia Prescription Exhibition" is a pharmacy. How did you come up with that idea?

Sato: We also wanted to show onomatopoeia not just superficially, but as a genuine means to solve social issues. During team discussions, ideas expanded from comments like, "Onomatopoeia has a ring to it, like medicine," leading to the concept of a pharmacy that prescribes onomatopoeia for various social problems.

The venue is divided into experiential and educational booths. The experiential booths feature corners like "Body Onomatopoeia," "New Medicine Onomatopoeia," "Parent Onomatopoeia," and "Touchable Onomatopoeia," offering fun onomatopoeia experiences for all ages. The educational booths cover basic onomatopoeia knowledge and showcase real-world applications like "Excitement Onomatopoeia" and "Sound of Mirrors." Since topics like SDGs and solving social issues can often feel stiff, we consciously created a pop world with elements like photo spots to ensure everyone can enjoy themselves.

(From top left clockwise) Body Matope, New Medicine Matope, Papa Mama Matope, Sports Matope

(Example of a corner)
・Body Onomatopoeia
Introduces onomatopoeia that makes it easier to describe symptoms when feeling unwell or experiencing physical discomfort, using a human body model.
・New Medicine Onomatopoeia
Introduces experimental onomatopoeia for various situations like friendships, business, and social media, presented as "new drugs."
・Parentomatope
Introduces onomatopoeia useful for parent-child communication.
・Sports Onomatopoeia
Test the effects of onomatopoeia through physical measurements like grip strength, jump height, and sit-and-reach.
・Eki-Mato-pe
Visually conveys environmental sounds like station announcements and train noises as onomatopoeia in real time through AI analysis.
・Miluoto
In sports settings, converts the sounds of the competition into onomatopoeia in real time and displays them on a monitor.
・My Prescription
A corner encouraging self-dialogue by visualizing your inner thoughts using onomatopoeia stamps.

(From left) Example Matope: Eki Matope, My Prescription

──What discoveries did you make while planning this project?

Namiki: We consulted Professor Akita on whether the words we selected or created were actually onomatopoeia. Through this process, we learned that recently popular terms like "pien" and "sokkoji" are also onomatopoeia, which made us realize anew how deeply embedded onomatopoeia is in daily life. For the "New Drug Matope" project, Professor Akita also suggested wonderful onomatopoeia, teaching us just how expansive language can be!

Akita: In the "New Drug Matope" project, I found the ways Namiki-san proposed using onomatopoeia to be both innovative and clever. For example, there was the suggestion to use "pokipoki" to mean "don't interrupt people mid-sentence." Using the onomatopoeia "pokipoki" to convey the nuance of "cutting someone off mid-sentence" – I'd never considered expanding onomatopoeia like that before, and it really struck me.

Onomatopoeia usable in various scenes: healthcare, childcare, business, SNS...

──What social utility of onomatopoeia became apparent through the "Onomatopoeia Prescription Exhibition"?

Akita: One aspect is that they are words that allow mutual understanding even between people in different positions. There was a "Body-morpheme" corner where people used onomatopoeia to describe physical states. For example, at the hospital when getting an injection, if you describe the pain in detail, it might scare the patient and take longer to get their consent. But if you just say, "It'll sting a bit," doesn't that make it seem bearable? Similarly, when you're in physical pain, using onomatopoeia could help you smoothly convey your symptoms to those around you or to doctors. In fact, a simple survey showed that when people used onomatopoeia like "It's throbbing painfully" versus metaphorical expressions like "It hurts like being squeezed," the onomatopoeia resulted in less variation in how the listener understood the symptom.

Namiki: Another great thing about onomatopoeia is its versatility across business, social media, friendships, healthcare, and more. For example, in childcare, abstract and complex Japanese can be hard for young children still developing language skills or children with developmental disorders to grasp. But onomatopoeia makes things clear and helps smooth communication between parents and children. At the "Onomatopoeia Prescription Exhibition," I saw a child around three or four years old at the "Touchable Onomatopoeia" corner. They smelled the mint scent and said, "Daddy, this is sooo cool!" Seeing that made me happy—realizing even young children can spontaneously use onomatopoeia.

Sato: Seeing that parent-child interaction was truly moving.

At the Touchable Onomatopoeia booth, you can touch and smell objects while expressing your sensations through onomatopoeia—like "fluffy," "rough," "prickly," or "cool"—and have fun doing it.

Akita: The idea of "Eki-Matope" (which uses AI analysis to visually convey environmental sounds as onomatopoeia in real-time to assist the deaf) could also be useful for sharing information and sensory experiences with international students and tourists. Japanese onomatopoeia appears frequently in manga, so foreigners often find it interesting. However, there's also a preconception that "Japanese onomatopoeia is very difficult to understand." Therefore, by converting everyday sounds like station bells into onomatopoeia and displaying them in alphabet characters, we think it could lead to discoveries for international visitors, like "Oh, this is how Japanese people hear this sound," and foster sensory sharing.

Namiki: It also seems useful in business settings. For example, saying directly, "Your opinion misses the mark," might come across as harsh to some. But saying, "Your opinion seems a bit flimsy," conveys the same point with a softer nuance.

Akita: That's true. Onomatopoeia acts as a cushion in communication with others, doesn't it?

Namiki: Onomatopoeia also seems effective as a communication tool or on social media. When a chat drags on and you want to wrap it up but find it awkward to say, saying "I'm gonna hit the hay soon" conveys your intention to end it. Especially on social media, where people from diverse backgrounds gather, words often get interpreted differently than intended. Using onomatopoeia in such situations helps minimize the gap between what you mean and what the other person thinks, allowing you to connect softly without disrupting the flow.

Akita: Onomatopoeia is often seen as a vague, sensory-based language, but it also has the ability to convey specific feelings. Another characteristic is its ease in creating new words, which could be useful for generating fresh ideas.

I want to put my brain into overdrive and keep expanding the new ways we use onomatopoeia!

──How has the response been to the "Onomatopoeia Prescription Exhibition"?

Sato: It's been trending on social media, and we've had over 15,000 visitors in about two months since opening. A wide range of ages, especially younger people, have come. The concept has resonated more than we expected, and we've received many comments like, "I felt the social potential of onomatopoeia."

Namiki: We've had international visitors too. Someone from Indonesia said, "Japanese onomatopoeia is unique, so I want to enjoy it."

──Looking ahead, how do you plan to expand the potential of onomatopoeia to address social issues?

Sato: While we're holding the "Onomatopoeia Prescription Exhibition" in Tokyo this time, we aim to host it in various locations. Simultaneously, we hope to expand beyond exhibitions, such as turning the content into picture books. If you're interested, please feel free to contact us!

Namiki: While planning this project, I truly realized that onomatopoeia has the potential to be applied horizontally across various aspects of daily life—food, clothing, shelter, and more. We want to keep our minds "whirring" to come up with projects that expand the areas where onomatopoeia can be useful, like food education and disaster prevention, ultimately making our lives better.

Akita: I hope everyone's fresh ideas will help more people recognize the social value of onomatopoeia.

──Hearing your insights, I now understand onomatopoeia holds potential for solving social issues. Thank you for your time today.

■ "Onomatopoeia Prescription Exhibition" Overview
Organizer: ITOCHU SDGs STUDIO
Period: Monday, April 1, 2024 – Monday, July 15, 2024 (National Holiday)
Venue: ITOCHU SDGs STUDIO GALLERY
(Itochu Garden B1, 2-3-1 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
Admission: Free
Hours: 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Admission may be restricted depending on crowd levels. Please note that entry may be denied if capacity is reached.
Closed: Mondays (※If Monday is a holiday, closed the following business day)
General Supervision: Dr. Mutsumi Imai, Dr. Kimi Akita
Medical Supervision: Dr. Yuko Takeda, Dr. Kazunari Iwata