ぽかぽか

also: ぽっかぽか

ぽ

か

ぽ

か

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

ぽかぽかする · noun or participle which takes 'suru'

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

Meanings

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

pleasantly warm; nice and warm

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Describes a comfortable, gentle warmth, often from sunlight, a room, or clothing. Commonly used with 暖かい or 陽気.

春はるの日ひ差ざしがぽかぽかと暖あたたかい。
The spring sunshine is pleasantly warm.
このセーターは着きるとぽかぽかする。
This sweater feels nice and warm when you wear it.

adverb taking the 'to' particle, adverb, noun or participle which takes 'suru'

repeatedly hitting; over and over

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Mimetic for the sound or action of hitting someone repeatedly, often with fists. Used with verbs like 殴る or 叩く.

彼かれは相あい手てをぽかぽか殴なぐった。
He punched the opponent repeatedly.
子こ供どもが兄きょう弟だいをぽかぽか叩たたいている。
The child is hitting his sibling over and over.

See all 15 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈体からだの部ぶ分ぶん〉がぽかぽかするfor a body part to feel pleasantly warm
お風ふ呂ろに入はいって体からだがぽかぽかしてきた。
After taking a bath, my body started to feel nice and warm.
〈人ひと〉をぽかぽか殴なぐるto hit someone repeatedly, as with fists
彼かれは弟おとうとをぽかぽか殴なぐった。
He hit his little brother repeatedly.
ぽかぽかした〈場ば所しょ〉a pleasantly warm place, such as a sunny spot
縁えん側がわはぽかぽかした場ば所しょだ。
The veranda is a nice, warm spot.

Related words

ぬくぬく sense 1
ぽかぽか describes a gentle, pleasant warmth from sunlight or a room, while ぬくぬく suggests being snugly wrapped up warm, sometimes implying spoiled comfort.
ボコボコ sense 2
ぽかぽか can describe light, repeated hitting, whereas ぼこぼこ implies a harder, more damaging beating.
ほかほか sense 1
ぽかぽか usually describes ambient warmth like sunshine or a warm room, while ほかほか typically describes the fresh, steaming warmth of food such as rice.

Word family

ぽかぽか陽よう気き
balmy weather; pleasantly warm day

Written forms

ぽかぽかUsage38%
Standard hiragana spelling for both senses; the most common written form.
ポカポカUsage49%
Katakana variant, often used for emphasis or in informal writing.
ぽっかぽかUsage13%
Emphatic geminated variant for the warmth sense; colloquial and expressive.
ポッカポカ
Katakana emphatic geminated variant for the warmth sense; very informal.

Etymology

Onomatopoeic word; the reduplicated form ぽかぽか mimics the sensation of gentle, repeated warmth or the sound of light, repeated blows. The geminated variant ぽっかぽか adds emphasis.