Translation guide
Describes a small, slow flow of liquid, or a gradual movement of people or things. Japanese uses different verbs and mimetic words depending on what is trickling and the nuance.
To describe water, tears, sweat, etc. moving slowly and in small amounts.
Used for drops of liquid falling or hanging, like water dripping or tears welling up. Often has a slightly literary or emotional feel.
Sweat trickled down from my forehead.
Dew is trickling from the leaves.
General verb for liquid flowing down, often in a thin stream. Can be used for tears, rain, etc.
Tears trickled down her cheeks.
Mimetic adverb for a small amount of liquid flowing weakly but continuously, like a thin stream from a tap or a small creek.
Water is trickling from the faucet.
Mimetic adverb for liquid dripping in distinct drops, like a leaky faucet or sweat dripping.
Water is trickling drop by drop from the tap.
Means to hang down or drip; can be used for thick liquids slowly dripping, but often implies something hanging rather than flowing.
Sauce is trickling down the edge of the plate.
To describe a small number of people or items moving slowly and steadily.
The most natural way to express gradual arrival or departure. Use 入る for coming in, 出る for going out.
The audience trickled into the venue.
After the meeting, people trickled out of the room.
Mimetic adverb for things happening sporadically or in small numbers, like people arriving one after another with gaps.
Mimetic adverb for seeing a few people or things here and there, often used when something is starting to appear gradually.
More formal/literary way to say gradually enter/exit. Less common in casual speech.
To describe a small, steady flow of income, donations, etc.
English 'trickle' is often used metaphorically (trickle of information, trickle-down economics). In Japanese, these are usually expressed with different constructions. Do not directly translate 'trickle' in such cases; instead, use phrases like 少しずつ (little by little) or 徐々に (gradually).
Both are mimetic words for trickling liquid. ちょろちょろ describes a thin, continuous stream (like a small faucet flow), while ぽたぽた describes distinct drops falling (like a leaky faucet). Choose based on whether the flow is continuous or in drops.
A trickle of sweat ran down his back.
一筋 (ひとすじ) means a single line/stream, often used for trickling sweat or tears.
The stream had dwindled to a trickle.
客がぽつぽつと集まり始めた。
Customers began to trickle in.
会場には人がちらほらと現れ始めた。
People started to trickle into the venue.
Information trickled in gradually.