ぴかぴか

See also: ひかひか and びかびか

Japanese

Etymology

/fikafika/ → /pikapika/

First attested as ひかひか (fikafika) in the 1595 Dictionarivm Latino Lvsitanicvm, ac Iaponicvm (“Dictionary from Latin into Portuguese, and Japanese”).^[1]

Reduplication of the ひか (hika-) root of Old Japanese-derived verb 光る (hikaru, “to shine, to gleam”), which root is from Proto-Japonic *pika. See also *pikaru.

As part of the Late Middle Japanese reintroduction of /p/ as a phoneme, particularly among mimetic words and in some Sino-Japanese compounds, this word regained its original /p/ sound that had by then shifted to /ɸ/.

Pronunciation 1

• (Tokyo) ぴかぴか [pìkáꜜpìkà] (Nakadaka – [2])^[2]
• (Tokyo) ぴかぴか [píꜜkàpìkà] (Atamadaka – [1])^[2]
• IPA^(key): [pʲika̠pʲika̠]

Adverb

ぴかぴか or ピカピカ • (pikapika) 

1. (onomatopoeia) glitteringly, sparklingly

Usage notes

Generally used without a particle:

• ぴかぴか光(ひか)る宝(ほう)石(せき) ― pikapika hikaru hōseki ― a sparklingly shining jewel

Sometimes encountered with the adverbial particle と (to):

• ぴかぴかと光(ひか)る宝(ほう)石(せき) ― pikapika to hikaru hōseki ― a sparklingly shining jewel

Derived terms

• ぴっかぴか (pikkapika)
• ピカチュウ (Pikachū, “Pikachu”)
• ぴかつく (pikatsuku)

Descendants

• →⇒ Korean: 삐까삐까 (ppikkappikka, “equally matched, nip and tuck”)

See also

• ひかひか (hikahika)
• びかびか (bikabika)

Pronunciation 2

• (Tokyo) ぴかぴか [pìkápíká] (Heiban – [0])^[2][3]
• IPA^(key): [pʲika̠pʲika̠]

Adjective

ぴかぴか or ピカピカ • (pikapika) -na (adnominal ぴかぴかな (pikapika na), adverbial ぴかぴかに (pikapika ni))

1. shiny, glossy

   ぴかぴかなグラス ― pikapika na gurasu ― a shiny drinking glass

   ピカピカの一(いち)年(ねん)生(せい) ― pikapika no ichinensei ― a shiny, fresh first-year student

Inflection

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	ぴかぴかだろ	pikapika daro
Continuative (連用形)	ぴかぴかで	pikapika de
Terminal (終止形)	ぴかぴかだ	pikapika da
Attributive (連体形)	ぴかぴかな	pikapika na
Hypothetical (仮定形)	ぴかぴかなら	pikapika nara
Imperative (命令形)	ぴかぴかであれ	pikapika de are
Key constructions
Informal negative	ぴかぴかではない ぴかぴかじゃない	pikapika de wa nai pikapika ja nai
Informal past	ぴかぴかだった	pikapika datta
Informal negative past	ぴかぴかではなかった ぴかぴかじゃなかった	pikapika de wa nakatta pikapika ja nakatta
Formal	ぴかぴかです	pikapika desu
Formal negative	ぴかぴかではありません ぴかぴかじゃありません	pikapika de wa arimasen pikapika ja arimasen
Formal past	ぴかぴかでした	pikapika deshita
Formal negative past	ぴかぴかではありませんでした ぴかぴかじゃありませんでした	pikapika de wa arimasen deshita pikapika ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive	ぴかぴかで	pikapika de
Conditional	ぴかぴかなら（ば）	pikapika nara (ba)
Provisional	ぴかぴかだったら	pikapika dattara
Volitional	ぴかぴかだろう	pikapika darō
Adverbial	ぴかぴかに	pikapika ni
Degree	ぴかぴかさ	pikapikasa

Inflection of ぴかぴか

Derived terms

Derived terms

• ぴっかぴか (pikkapika)
• 光(ぴか)一(いち) (pikaichi)
• 金(きん)ぴか (kinpika)
• つるぴか (tsurupika)
• 安(やす)ぴか (yasupika)

References

1. Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN; source text visible online here, in the Coruscus entry, third down in the left-hand column, in the adverbial form ficaficato
2. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
3. Matsumura, Akira (1995) 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN