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ピンと立つ (ぴんとたつ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
expression, godan verb (-tsu)
perk up ; prick up
Used especially for ears standing up sharply, often in response to a sound or alertness. The phrase ピンと立つ is a fixed expression combining the mimetic adverb ピンと (describing a sharp, straight, or tense state) with the verb 立つ.
See also: ピンと
猫ねこ は 警けい 戒かい し て 耳みみ を ピン と 立た た せ て いる 。
The cat is on alert, with its ears pricked up.
Written forms ピンと 立た つ
Standard katakana spelling for the mimetic adverb ピンと.
ぴんと 立た つ
Hiragana variant; less common than the katakana form.
Similar words ピンと The mimetic adverb itself, meaning 'tautly', 'sharply', or 'with a snap'. ピンと立つ is a specific verb phrase using this adverb.
Etymology The adverb ピンと is a mimetic word (擬態語) describing a sharp, straight, or tense state. The exact origin is uncertain, but it is part of a family of sound-symbolic words beginning with ピン/ぴん.
