ぶーぶー
ぶーぶー
honking; oinking; grumbling; being displeased
The onomatopoeic word ぶーぶー has two meanings that you're likely to come across:
らっぱなどを低く大きく吹いたような音を表す語。
らっぱ など を ひくく おおきく ふいた ような おと を あらわす ご。
a word expressing the large, low(-toned) sound of something like a horn being blown
Literally: “horn / trumpet + and so on + を + low + large + blew + like (=ような) + sound + を + express / signify + word.”
Source: goo辞書
不平不満などを盛んに言うさま。
ふへいふまん など を さかん に いう さま。
the state of continually grumbling, complaining, being displeased etc.
Literally: “grumbling / complaining / being dissatisfied + and so on + を + active / frequent + に + say + state.”
Source: goo辞書
So, one meaning is something like the "honking" sound of a horn. Strangely, it can also refer to the "oinking" sound of a pig.
The other meaning conveys that someone is "grumbling," "being displeased," etc.
We'll see examples of both...
子豚がブーブー鳴いている。
こぶた が ブーブー ないている。
The piglet is oinking.
Literally: “piglet + が + ブーブー + is crying / is making a sound.”
↑ Seeing Japanese sentences like this, I can't help but think that English doesn't do the sound of pigs oinking justice. At the very least, the Japanese seems more fun to me. Maybe you think the onomatopoeic word "oink" is closer to the real sound of a pig than ぶーぶー？ I'm not sure which is better...
Here we see ぶーぶー being used to describe the sound of a car's horn:
後ろの車にブーブークラクションを鳴らされた。
うしろ の くるま に ブーブー クラクション を ならされた。
I got honked at by the car behind me.
Literally: “behind + の + car + に + ブーブー + (car) horn (lit. “Klaxon”) + を + was sounded / was rung.”
While we're on the topic of cars, I should mention that ブーブー is also a baby word for a "car." If you'd read this JLPT N4 lesson, you would already know this, as we saw this sentence:
小さい子は、「車」「電車」と言わないで「ブーブー」「ガタンゴトン」などと言います。
ちいさい こ は、 「くるま」 「でんしゃ」 と いわないで 「ブーブー」 「ガタンゴトン」 など と いいます。
Little kids do not say things like “car” or “train,” but rather “vroom vroom” and “choo choo.”
Literally: “little + child + は, + ‘car’ + ‘train’ + と + don’t say (and) + (baby word for) car (=vroom vroom)’ + ‘(baby word for) train (=[the sound of the train’s wheels spinning on the tracks])’ + など (=and so on) + と + say.”
Since the sentences we saw above used the word ぶーぶー, they were conveying repeated or continuing sounds.
That's different than the single (and rather embarrassing) ブーッ that we see here:
食事中、ブーッとおならをしてしまった。
しょくじ ちゅう、 ブーッ と おなら を して しまった。
I accidentally let out a loud fart while I was eating.
Literally: “meal + -in the middle of, + ブーッ + と + fart + を + (accidentally) did.”
We've encountered this issue of "single VS repeated sounds" in quite a few of these lessons now. The first place we saw it was in our first-ever onomatopoeia lesson: [NDL #820] - Onomatopoeia: ちくちく.
As I mentioned earlier, ぶーぶー can also refer to the state of someone who is grumbling or muttering complaints, as in this sentence:
ぶーぶー文句言ってないで、早く準備しなさい。
ぶーぶー もんく いってないで、 はやく じゅんび しなさい。
Quit grumbling [complaining] and hurry up and get ready.
Literally: “ぶーぶー + complaint + are not saying (and), + quickly / soon + preparation + do (=[command]).”
Personally, I find myself using ぶーぶー and ブーッ the most often when playfully telling someone that they got the answer to a question wrong, like Person A does in the following dialogue:
A:
このブーツ、いくらだったと思う？
この ブーツ、 いくら だった と おもう？
How much do you think these boots were?
Literally: “this + boots, + how much + were + と + think?”
B:
うーん.....8000円くらい？
うーん..... はっせん えん くらい？
Uh… around 8,000 yen?
Literally: “uh… / hmm… + 8000 + yen + about / approximately?”
A:
ブーッ。正解は、1500円でした！
ブーッ。 せいかい は、 せんごひゃく えん でした！
Bzz. The correct answer was… 1500 yen!
Literally: “ブーッ. + correct answer + は, + 1500 + yen + was!”
Note: That ブーッ or "Bzz" are meant to be the buzzer sound you might hear on a game show, for example, when someone gets a question wrong.
Hope you enjoyed this one. And I also hope you have fun using it out in the wild. ^_^
Complete and Continue
honking; oinking; grumbling; being displeased
The onomatopoeic word ぶーぶー has two meanings that you're likely to come across:
らっぱなどを低く大きく吹いたような音を表す語。
らっぱ など を ひくく おおきく ふいた ような おと を あらわす ご。
a word expressing the large, low(-toned) sound of something like a horn being blown
Literally: “horn / trumpet + and so on + を + low + large + blew + like (=ような) + sound + を + express / signify + word.”
Source: goo辞書
不平不満などを盛んに言うさま。
ふへいふまん など を さかん に いう さま。
the state of continually grumbling, complaining, being displeased etc.
Literally: “grumbling / complaining / being dissatisfied + and so on + を + active / frequent + に + say + state.”
Source: goo辞書
So, one meaning is something like the "honking" sound of a horn. Strangely, it can also refer to the "oinking" sound of a pig.
The other meaning conveys that someone is "grumbling," "being displeased," etc.
We'll see examples of both...
子豚がブーブー鳴いている。
こぶた が ブーブー ないている。
The piglet is oinking.
Literally: “piglet + が + ブーブー + is crying / is making a sound.”
↑ Seeing Japanese sentences like this, I can't help but think that English doesn't do the sound of pigs oinking justice. At the very least, the Japanese seems more fun to me. Maybe you think the onomatopoeic word "oink" is closer to the real sound of a pig than ぶーぶー？ I'm not sure which is better...
Here we see ぶーぶー being used to describe the sound of a car's horn:
後ろの車にブーブークラクションを鳴らされた。
うしろ の くるま に ブーブー クラクション を ならされた。
I got honked at by the car behind me.
Literally: “behind + の + car + に + ブーブー + (car) horn (lit. “Klaxon”) + を + was sounded / was rung.”
While we're on the topic of cars, I should mention that ブーブー is also a baby word for a "car." If you'd read this JLPT N4 lesson, you would already know this, as we saw this sentence:
小さい子は、「車」「電車」と言わないで「ブーブー」「ガタンゴトン」などと言います。
ちいさい こ は、 「くるま」 「でんしゃ」 と いわないで 「ブーブー」 「ガタンゴトン」 など と いいます。
Little kids do not say things like “car” or “train,” but rather “vroom vroom” and “choo choo.”
Literally: “little + child + は, + ‘car’ + ‘train’ + と + don’t say (and) + (baby word for) car (=vroom vroom)’ + ‘(baby word for) train (=[the sound of the train’s wheels spinning on the tracks])’ + など (=and so on) + と + say.”
Since the sentences we saw above used the word ぶーぶー, they were conveying repeated or continuing sounds.
That's different than the single (and rather embarrassing) ブーッ that we see here:
食事中、ブーッとおならをしてしまった。
しょくじ ちゅう、 ブーッ と おなら を して しまった。
I accidentally let out a loud fart while I was eating.
Literally: “meal + -in the middle of, + ブーッ + と + fart + を + (accidentally) did.”
We've encountered this issue of "single VS repeated sounds" in quite a few of these lessons now. The first place we saw it was in our first-ever onomatopoeia lesson: [NDL #820] - Onomatopoeia: ちくちく.
As I mentioned earlier, ぶーぶー can also refer to the state of someone who is grumbling or muttering complaints, as in this sentence:
ぶーぶー文句言ってないで、早く準備しなさい。
ぶーぶー もんく いってないで、 はやく じゅんび しなさい。
Quit grumbling [complaining] and hurry up and get ready.
Literally: “ぶーぶー + complaint + are not saying (and), + quickly / soon + preparation + do (=[command]).”
Personally, I find myself using ぶーぶー and ブーッ the most often when playfully telling someone that they got the answer to a question wrong, like Person A does in the following dialogue:
A:
このブーツ、いくらだったと思う？
この ブーツ、 いくら だった と おもう？
How much do you think these boots were?
Literally: “this + boots, + how much + were + と + think?”
B:
うーん.....8000円くらい？
うーん..... はっせん えん くらい？
Uh… around 8,000 yen?
Literally: “uh… / hmm… + 8000 + yen + about / approximately?”
A:
ブーッ。正解は、1500円でした！
ブーッ。 せいかい は、 せんごひゃく えん でした！
Bzz. The correct answer was… 1500 yen!
Literally: “ブーッ. + correct answer + は, + 1500 + yen + was!”
Note: That ブーッ or "Bzz" are meant to be the buzzer sound you might hear on a game show, for example, when someone gets a question wrong.
Hope you enjoyed this one. And I also hope you have fun using it out in the wild. ^_^
0 comments