also: かちんかちん
na-adjective
rock hard; stiff and unyielding
Describes something extremely hard or frozen solid, or a person who is rigid, tense, or inflexible in attitude.
冷凍庫に入れておいた肉がカチンコチンに凍っている。
The meat I put in the freezer is frozen rock hard.
彼は面接でカチンコチンになって、うまく話せなかった。
He became stiff and unyielding during the interview and couldn't speak well.
noun
clangor; clanging sound
Onomatopoeic use for a hard, metallic clanging noise, such as two hard objects striking each other repeatedly.
工事現場からカチンコチンという金属音が聞こえる。
A clanging metallic sound can be heard from the construction site.
Hiragana spelling, often used in casual writing.
ガチガチ also means hard or stiff, but often implies a grinding or chattering sound, and can describe a person who is overly serious or inflexible. カチンコチン emphasizes extreme hardness or frozen state.
コチコチ is similar but often used for something that has become hard due to cold or age, and can describe a person who is set in their ways. カチンコチン is more intense.
Onomatopoeic word derived from the sound of hard objects striking each other (カチン) and the state of being hard (コチン). The exact derivation is uncertain, but it is a reduplicative mimetic word.