Translation guide
To eat something quickly, eagerly, or completely, often with a sense of greed or speed. In Japanese, this is expressed with specific verbs and onomatopoeic adverbs that convey the manner of eating.
To consume food rapidly, often with enthusiasm or greed, like a child or someone very hungry.
Uses the onomatopoeia ぱくぱく (paku paku) for opening and closing the mouth, implying eating quickly and continuously. Very common and natural for casual eating.
子供たちはお菓子をぱくぱく食べた。
The kids gobbled up the snacks.
がつがつ (gatsugatsu) implies eating greedily, ravenously, often with a negative nuance of being uncouth. Suitable for describing someone devouring food.
彼は昼食をがつがつ食べた。
He gobbled up his lunch.
むしゃむしゃ (mushamusha) is onomatopoeia for munching or chomping, often used for eating with gusto, like a horse or a child. Less about speed, more about the sound and eagerness.
彼女はリンゴをむしゃむしゃ食べた。
She gobbled up the apple.
Literally 'to swallow whole'. Used when someone gobbles something without chewing, like a snake. Can be metaphorical for accepting something uncritically.
彼は寿司を丸呑みにした。
He gobbled up the sushi whole.
To use up something like money, time, or energy rapidly and completely, often in a wasteful or greedy manner.
Compound verb meaning to eat up completely, devour everything. Can be used metaphorically for resources.
そのプロジェクトは予算を食い尽くした。
The project gobbled up the budget.
Standard verb for 'consume'. More formal and neutral, not necessarily with the greedy nuance of 'gobble up', but can be used in similar contexts.
新しいアプリがバッテリーをすぐに消費する。
The new app gobbles up the battery quickly.
Specifically for drinking greedily, gulping down. Can be extended metaphorically to 'gobbling up' drinks or liquid resources.
彼はビールをがぶ飲みした。
He gobbled up the beer.
To completely cover, absorb, or take over something, like a company acquiring others or a fire consuming a building.
Literally 'swallow', but often used figuratively for engulfing, absorbing, or overwhelming. Can be used for companies, waves, darkness, etc.
大企業が小さな会社を次々と飲み込んでいる。
The big corporation is gobbling up small companies one after another.
Means 'absorb'. Common in business contexts for mergers and acquisitions, or for absorbing information. Less vivid than 'gobble up' but accurate.
その会社は競合他社を吸収した。
The company gobbled up its competitors.
Variant kanji for 飲み込む, often used in literary or figurative contexts, emphasizing the swallowing/engulfing action.
There is no single Japanese verb that perfectly matches 'gobble up' in all contexts. Using 食べる alone loses the nuance of speed and greed. Instead, combine adverbs like ぱくぱく or がつがつ with 食べる, or use compound verbs like 食い尽くす for complete consumption.
ぱくぱく focuses on the quick, repeated opening and closing of the mouth, often neutral or positive. がつがつ implies greediness and lack of manners, often negative. むしゃむしゃ emphasizes the munching sound and eagerness, often used for animals or children eating happily.
彼はぱくぱく食べるのが好きだ。
He likes to gobble up his food (quickly).
がつがつ食べるのは行儀が悪い。
Gobbling up food greedily is bad manners.
ウサギがニンジンをむしゃむしゃ食べている。
The rabbit is gobbling up the carrot.
子供たちはクッキーを全部ぱくぱく食べてしまった。
The kids gobbled up all the cookies.
彼は夕食を5分でがつがつ食べた。
He gobbled up his dinner in five minutes.
その新しいソフトはメモリを食い尽くす。
The new software gobbles up memory.
The rabbit is gobbling up the carrot.
Darkness gobbled up the town.