Japanese Onomatopoeia – Difference between “どきどき”, “どきっ” and “きゅん”

Table of Contents

1. Difference between “どきどき”, “どきっ” and “きゅん”
2. どきどき
3. どきっ
4. きゅん
5. Let’s Compare
6. Summary
7. Quiz
8. Similar Articles
9. Comment

Q: “What is the difference between “どきどき”, “どきっ” and “きゅん”

A: We’ll introduce three onomatopoeic expressions frequently used by Japanese people to describe emotions! “どきどき”, “どきっ” and “きゅん” are sound effects that represent the sound of the heart. While they are often written in both hiragana and katakana, there is no difference in meaning.
Let’s take a closer look at each one.

どきどき・ドキドキ (JLPT N3)

[Meaning]
① A state of feeling intense anxiety or nervousness
② The feeling of being overwhelmed with affection for someone you like
③ The feeling of excitement and anticipation for something

[Usage]
どきどき＋する
*There is no difference in meaning whether written in hiragana or katakana.

[Examples]
明日あしたの発表はっぴょう会かいうまくできるかな。不安ふあんでドキドキする。（①）
Will I be able to do well at tomorrow’s presentation? I’m nervous and my heart is pounding.

A組くみの先輩せんぱいかっこいい！見みているだけでどきどきする！（②）
The senior from Class A is so cool! Just looking at him makes my heart race!

来週らいしゅうから日本にほんでの生活せいかつが始はじまる！どうなるんだろう。どきどきするなー。（③）
My life in Japan starts next week! I wonder how it will be. I’m excited and my heart is pounding.

どきっ・ドキッ

[Meaning]
A feeling of being extremely surprised when something sudden happens (the emotion felt in that exact moment)

[Usage]
どきっ＋とする
*There is no difference in meaning whether written in hiragana or katakana.

[Examples]
ねこが突然とつぜん、飛び出と　だしてきてドキッとしたよ。
A cat suddenly jumped out, and it startled me.

好すきな先輩せんぱいと目めが合あってドキッとしました。
My eyes met with the senior I like, and it made my heart skip a beat.

きゅん・キュン

[Meaning]
① The feeling of your chest aching with affection for someone you like
② The feeling of being deeply moved by something, leading to a sense of sadness or heartache

[Usage]
きゅん＋とする
*There is no difference in meaning whether written in hiragana or katakana.

[Examples]
先輩せんぱいのことを考かんがえると胸むねがキュンとする。（①） 　
Thinking about my senior makes my heart flutter.
　
映画えいがで主人しゅじん公こうが死しぬ場面ばめんを見みて心こころがきゅんと苦くるしくなった。（②）　　　　
Watching the scene where the protagonist dies in the movie made my heart ache with sadness.

Let’s Compare

[どきどき・どきっ]

These two expressions can be used in both positive and negative situations, but “どきどき” is used for longer periods of time, while “どきっ” is used for momentary events.

[Examples]
明日あしたの発表はっぴょう会かいうまくできるかな。不安ふあんでドキドキする。
Will I be able to do well at tomorrow’s presentation? I’m nervous and my heart is pounding.
⇒ The state of nervousness continues from the present moment until the presentation.

ねこが突然とつぜん、飛び出と　だしてきてドキッとしたよ。
A cat suddenly jumped out, and it startled me.
⇒ This expresses the surprise felt at the moment the cat jumped out.

A組くみの先輩せんぱいと目めが合あってドキッとした！今いまもドキドキしている！
My eyes met with the senior from Class A, and it made my heart skip a beat! My herat is still beating fast!
⇒ The momentary event of making eye contact is expressed with “ドキッ”, while the continued feeling afterward is expressed with “ドキドキ（している）”.

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[きゅん・キュン]

“きゅん” also expresses momentary feelings, similar to “どきっ,” but “どきっ” is used when something sudden happens. However, “きゅん” is used to describe the overwhelming affection the speaker feels for someone they like, or the emotional, heart-wrenching feeling that makes them want to cry. For this reason, “きゅん” is often used together with words like “chest” or “heart.”

[例れい]
Ａ組くみの先輩せんぱい、背せも高たかくてかっこよくて本当ほんとうに素敵すてき。考かんがえるだけでキュンとするよ。
The senior from Class A is tall, cool, and really amazing. Just thinking about him makes my heart skip a beat.
⇒ This expresses the feeling of heartache when thinking about how wonderful the senior is.

この映画えいがの最後さいごは本当ほんとうに感動かんどう的てきで、何なん度ど見みても心こころがキュンとさせられるよ。
The ending of this movie is truly emotional, and no matter how many times I watch it, it always tugs at my heart.
⇒ This expresses the heart-wrenching feeling of watching an emotional movie that makes you want to cry.

Summary

[どきどき]

• ① A state of feeling intense anxiety or nervousness.
• ② The feeling of being overwhelmingly in love with someone you have affection for.
• ③ The feeling of excitement and anticipation for something.

[どきっ]

• The feeling of being extremely surprised when something sudden and unexpected happens.

[きゅん]

• ① The feeling of being deeply in love with someone.
• ② A state of feeling so emotional or heartbroken that it makes you want to cry.

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.

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