also: いかいか
Only with reading イガイガ / いがいが
Refers to the spiky outer husk of chestnuts, etc. Often used in children's language or onomatopoeically.
See also: いが
adverb, adverb taking the 'to' particle
prickly; irritating; scratchy
Only with reading イガイガ / いがいが
Describes a physical sensation of irritation, like a scratchy throat or bristly texture. Often used with する or と.
My throat feels scratchy.
adverb taking the 'to' particle, adverb
crying of a baby
Archaic mimetic word for a baby's cry. Rarely used in modern Japanese.
It hurts if you touch the chestnut bur.
This sweater feels prickly against my skin.
In old language, a baby's cry was sometimes expressed as 'igaiga'.
Hiragana variant of the rare reading for the archaic sense.
Mimetic word derived from the sensation of prickliness or the sound of a baby crying. The exact origin is uncertain.