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) ぺ​ちゃくちゃ [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)
Related terms

References
  1. Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN
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