ぐにゃぐにゃ

ぐ

にゃ

ぐ

にゃ

JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

ぐにゃぐにゃする · noun or participle which takes 'suru'

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	ぐにゃぐにゃする	ぐにゃぐにゃしない
Polite	ぐにゃぐにゃします	ぐにゃぐにゃしません
Past polite	ぐにゃぐにゃしました	ぐにゃぐにゃしませんでした
Past	ぐにゃぐにゃした	ぐにゃぐにゃしなかった
Te-form	ぐにゃぐにゃして	ぐにゃぐにゃしないで
Desire	ぐにゃぐにゃしたい	ぐにゃぐにゃしたくない
Potential	ぐにゃぐにゃできる	ぐにゃぐにゃできない
Passive	ぐにゃぐにゃされる	ぐにゃぐにゃされない
Causative	ぐにゃぐにゃさせる	ぐにゃぐにゃさせない
Causative passive	ぐにゃぐにゃさせられる	ぐにゃぐにゃさせられない
Volitional	ぐにゃぐにゃしよう
Polite volitional	ぐにゃぐにゃしましょう
Imperative	ぐにゃぐにゃしろ	ぐにゃぐにゃするな
Conditional	ぐにゃぐにゃすれば	ぐにゃぐにゃしなければ
Tara conditional	ぐにゃぐにゃしたら	ぐにゃぐにゃしなかったら

Meanings

na-adjective, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', adverb, adverb taking the 'to' particle, noun or participle which takes 'suru'

flabby; limp; soft and pliable

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Describes something that lacks firmness, bends easily, or feels unpleasantly soft. Often used for objects, body parts, or textures.

このぬいぐるみはぐにゃぐにゃで気き持もち悪わるい。
This stuffed toy is flabby and feels unpleasant.
熱ねつでプラスチックがぐにゃぐにゃになった。
The plastic became soft and pliable from the heat.

See all 10 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉がぐにゃぐにゃになるfor something to become floppy/limp
熱ねつで溶とけたプラスチックがぐにゃぐにゃになった。
The plastic melted from the heat and became all floppy.
〈物もの〉をぐにゃぐにゃに曲まげるto bend something so it becomes floppy
ワイヤーをぐにゃぐにゃに曲まげて遊あそんだ。
I played by bending the wire into all sorts of floppy shapes.
足あしがぐにゃぐにゃするfor one's legs to feel weak and wobbly
長ちょう時じ間かん歩あるいて足あしがぐにゃぐにゃになった。
After walking for so long, my legs felt completely wobbly.
ぐにゃぐにゃの〈物もの〉a floppy/limp thing
ぐにゃぐにゃのゴムを触さわってみた。
I touched the floppy piece of rubber.

Related words

ふにゃふにゃ
ふにゃふにゃ often implies weakness or lack of strength (like a floppy toy), while ぐにゃぐにゃ emphasizes a wobbly, bending texture without necessarily implying weakness.
ぐにゃり
ぐにゃり describes a single, sudden bending or collapsing motion, while ぐにゃぐにゃ describes a continuous or repeated state of being limp.
ブヨブヨ
ぶよぶよ describes soft, swollen puffiness (like bloated flesh), whereas ぐにゃぐにゃ focuses on the bendable, pliable quality of something.
ぷよぷよ
ぷよぷよ has a cute, bouncy squishiness, whereas ぐにゃぐにゃ describes limpness or floppiness, often with a negative sense of instability.

Opposites

硬かたいN4
硬い describes something firm, stiff, or hard, the direct opposite of the floppy, bendable quality of ぐにゃぐにゃ.

Don't confuse with

ぐるぐるN2
ぐるぐる sounds similar and is also a repeated-state onomatopoeia, but it describes spinning or circling, not limpness or bendability like ぐにゃぐにゃ.

Written forms

ぐにゃぐにゃUsage64%
Standard hiragana spelling for this mimetic word.
グニャグニャUsage36%
Katakana variant often used for emphasis or in informal writing.

Etymology

A mimetic word (onomatopoeia) derived from the sound or sensation of something bending or being soft. The exact origin is uncertain, but it follows the common reduplicative pattern of Japanese mimetic adverbs.