About this sound effects dictionary
The list above works like a small manga SFX dictionary: every entry has the symbols as they appear on the page, how they are read, and what they mean in English. Search it by any of those. It covers the sound effects that show up most in manga, manhwa and manhua, not every one ever drawn.
Why manga has so many sound effects
Japanese has a large set of words that imitate sounds (giongo) and words that describe states and feelings (gitaigo). Manga draws both. So a page can "say" a heartbeat (ドキドキ), a glare (ジー) or an awkward silence (シーン) that has no real sound at all. Korean and Chinese comics do the same with their own scripts.
How to read them
- Small tsu (ッ) at the end means the sound stops short: ハッ (ha) is a sharp gasp, not a long sigh.
- A long dash (ー) stretches the sound: ドーン (doon) is bigger than ドン (don).
- Repeated sounds show something ongoing: ザワザワ (zawa zawa) is a crowd that keeps murmuring.
- Size and shape matter. Artists draw big, jagged letters for loud or violent sounds, and soft round ones for gentle feelings.
Japanese, Korean and Chinese side by side
| Meaning | Manga (Japanese) | Manhwa (Korean) | Manhua (Chinese) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bang, slam | バン (ban) | 쾅 (kwang) | 砰 (peng) |
| Heavy thud | ドサッ (dosa) | 쿵 (kung) | 嘭 (peng) |
| Explosion, boom | ドカーン (dokaan) | 펑 (peong) | 轰 (hong) |
| Whoosh | ヒュー (hyuu) | 휙 (hwik) | 嗖 (sou) |
| Heart pounding | ドキドキ (doki doki) | 두근두근 (dugeun dugeun) | 扑通 (putong) |
| Gulp | ゴクッ (goku) | 꿀꺽 (kkulkkeok) |
Reading a page full of them
Looking up one sound effect is easy. A fight scene with twenty of them is not. If you would rather read the page than decode it, Mangit rewrites every bubble and sound effect in your language on the page itself. Pick a screenshot, choose your language, and read. It is a paid app with no free trial; the app shows the price for your country before you pay.
Questions
What does ゴゴゴ mean in manga?
Gogogo is a menacing rumble. It shows that someone threatening or powerful is present, even when nothing is actually making a sound.
What does シーン mean?
Shiin is the sound of silence. Artists use it for an awkward pause or a moment where nobody reacts.
What does ドキドキ mean?
Doki doki is a pounding heart, from nerves, excitement or a crush.
Are manga sound effects katakana or hiragana?
Most loud, physical sounds are written in katakana. Softer sounds and feelings are often in hiragana. Artists choose freely, so you will see both.
Does this page send what I type anywhere?
No. The search runs in your browser on the list shown on this page.
