JLPT N3 Vocabulary – Difference between “きらきら” and “ぴかぴか”

Table of Contents

1. Difference between “きらきら” and “ぴかぴか”
2. きらきら
3. ぴかぴか
4. Summary
5. Quiz
6. Similar Articles
7. Comment

Q: Are “きらきら” and “ぴかぴか” the same?

A: “きらきら” describes something that is shining continuously. “ぴかぴか” primarily describes something that is flashing or blinking intermittently.
These two words have specific patterns in their usage, so let’s look at them in detail.

きらきら (JLPT N3)

[Main Usage]
[V] Verb
きらきら＋する・している
きらきら（と）＋Verb
[N] Noun　
きらきら＋の＋Noun
きらきらだ

[Examples]
[V] ピアスがきらきらしていますね。
Your earrings are sparkling.

[V] ダイヤの指輪ゆびわがきらきらと輝かがやいています。
The diamond ring is glittering.

[N] きらきらの石いしを見みつけました。
I found a glittering stone.

[N] 今日きょうは星ほしがきらきらです。
The stars are sparkling tonight.

“きらきら” often describes something that continues to shine naturally without any effort.

[Frequently Represented Things ①]
Stars, jewels, and shiny objects.
It is often used to describe things that shine with natural light.

[Examples]　　
星ほしがきらきら輝かがやいています。
The stars are shining brightly.

このダイヤモンド、きらきらだね。
This diamond is so sparkly.

[Frequently Represented Things ②]
People and eyes. It describes someone positive, filled with hope and dreams, often represented by their shining eyes.

[Examples]　
新あたらしい社員しゃいんはきらきらしています。
The new employee is shining with enthusiasm.

子こどもの目めはきらきらしています。
The child’s eyes are sparkling with excitement.

ぴかぴか (JLPT N3)

[Main Usage]
[V] Verb
ぴかぴか＋する・している
ぴかぴか（と）＋Verb
[N] Noun　
ぴかぴか＋の＋Noun
ぴかぴかだ

[Examples]
あそこで雷かみなりがぴかぴかしています。
There is lightning flashing over there.

何なにかがぴかぴか光ひかっています。
Something is shining brightly.

ぴかぴかの靴くつですね。
Those are shiny shoes.

床ゆかをぞうきんで拭ふいてぴかぴかです。
The floor is sparkling after wiping with a cloth.

[Frequently Represented Things ①]
Lightning and lights.
Even with natural phenomena like lightning, which flashes intermittently, or electronic lights that blink repeatedly, “ぴかぴか” is used.
In these cases, it is often used to describe a deliberately strong light being emitted.

[Examples]
雷かみなりがぴかぴか光ひかっていて怖こわいな。
The lightning is flashing and it’s scary.
⇒ The lightning keeps flashing and disappearing repeatedly.
　　　　
目めが痛いたくなるからライトをぴかぴかしないでほしいです。
The light is flashing and it hurts my eyes, please don’t do that.
⇒ The light is blinking repeatedly on purpose to the speaker.

このおもちゃ、ぴかぴか光ひかっておもしろいね。
This toy flashes and it’s really fun.
⇒ The toy is designed to blink a strong light on purpose to make it interesting.

[Frequently Represented Things ②]
New items.
It describes the state of being very new and shiny.

[Examples]
この車くるまは先月せんげつ買かったばかりでぴかぴかです。
This car is brand new, we just bought it last month, and it’s shiny.

子こどもはぴかぴかのランドセルを背負せおっています。
The child is carrying a brand-new, shiny school backpack.
⇒ Both items have a gloss which indicates that they are new and clean.

[Frequently Represented Things ③]　
Cleaned items.
This expression is used to describe something that has become very clean after being cleaned or washed.
In this case, the phrase “ぴかぴかになる”(become shiny) is often used similarly to “きれいになる.”

[Examples]　
鏡かがみを拭ふいたらぴかぴかになりました。
The mirror became shiny after I wiped it.

この洗剤せんざいを使つかうとお皿さらがぴかぴかになりますよ！
If you use this detergent, your dishes will become shiny!

Summary

きらきら

• Even without any action, it naturally and continuously shines.
• When used for people or their eyes, it expresses that the person is bright with hope or dreams.

ぴかぴか

• Mainly describes something that is intermittently shining or flashing.
• It also expresses the appearance of something very new and clean, or something that has become clean through cleaning or washing.

Quiz

Read the following sentence and choose the expression that fits the context from the options provided in the parentheses.

Click on the question to check the answer.

---