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ぽたぽた Japanese meaning | Kotomora

ぽたぽた

also: ぼたぼた · ぼとぼと · ぽとぽと

ぽ

た

ぽ

た

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

adverb, adverb taking the 'to' particle, noun or participle which takes 'suru'

dripping; trickling; drop by drop

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Onomatopoeia for liquid falling in small, repeated drops. Often used with と or as a する-verb.

蛇じゃ口ぐちから水みずがぽたぽたと落おちている。
Water is dripping from the faucet.

汗あせがぽたぽたと額ひたいから流ながれた。

Sweat trickled down from my forehead.

2

adverb, adverb taking the 'to' particle, noun or participle which takes 'suru'

wet and heavy; soggy

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Only with reading ぼたぼた / ボタボタ

Describes snow, clay, or similar substances that are heavy with moisture. Restricted to voiced readings ぼたぼた/ボタボタ.

ぼたぼたの雪ゆきが積つもって、屋や根ねが重おもそうだ。
Wet, heavy snow has piled up, and the roof looks burdened.

3

adverb, adverb taking the 'to' particle

slowly; ploddingly

onomatopoeic or mimetic wordarchaic

Only with reading ぼたぼた / ボタボタ

Archaic use for moving slowly or heavily. Restricted to voiced readings ぼたぼた/ボタボタ. Rare in modern Japanese.

昔むかしの文ぶんでは、人ひとがぼたぼたと歩あるく様よう子すを表あらわすことがある。
In old texts, ぼたぼた can describe someone walking slowly and heavily.

Written forms

ぽたぽたUsage31%
Most common kana spelling for the dripping sense; marked as high priority.
ポタポタUsage28%
Katakana variant, often used for onomatopoeic emphasis.
ぼたぼたUsage9%
Voiced variant used for heavier, wetter, or slower impressions; restricted to senses 2 and 3.
ぽとぽとUsage8%
Rare variant with a slightly lighter or softer dripping nuance.
ボトボトUsage7%
Rare katakana voiced variant for dripping.
ポトポトUsage7%
Rare katakana variant for light dripping.
ぼとぼとUsage6%
Rare voiced variant for dripping; may be encountered but less common.
ボタボタUsage4%
Katakana voiced variant for senses 2 and 3.

Similar words

ぽつぽつ
Also means dripping or in drops, but often implies a lighter, more intermittent sound or a sparse pattern, whereas ぽたぽた suggests slightly larger or more continuous drops.
だらだら
Describes liquid flowing continuously or sluggishly, not in distinct drops. ぽたぽた focuses on discrete drops.

Etymology

Onomatopoeic word mimicking the sound of liquid dripping. The voiced variants ぼたぼた/ぼとぼと convey a heavier, wetter, or slower impression. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.