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ゆらゆら (yurayura) Japanese meaning: swaying | Kotomora
Common word› JLPT N1 › Freq. Frequency Top 50,000 Conjugation ゆらゆらする · noun or participle which takes 'suru'
Form Positive Negative Dictionary ゆらゆらする ゆらゆらしない Polite ゆらゆらします ゆらゆらしません Past polite ゆらゆらしました ゆらゆらしませんでした Past ゆらゆらした ゆらゆらしなかった Te-form ゆらゆらして ゆらゆらしないで Desire ゆらゆらしたい ゆらゆらしたくない Potential ゆらゆらできる ゆらゆらできない Passive ゆらゆらされる ゆらゆらされない Causative ゆらゆらさせる ゆらゆらさせない Causative passive ゆらゆらさせられる ゆらゆらさせられない Volitional ゆらゆらしよう Polite volitional ゆらゆらしましょう Imperative ゆらゆらしろ ゆらゆらするな Conditional ゆらゆらすれば ゆらゆらしなければ Tara conditional ゆらゆらしたら ゆらゆらしなかったら
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The candle flame is flickering gently.
The swing is swaying back and forth.
He is walking unsteadily, swaying because he is drunk.
Usage patterns 〈 物もの 〉 がゆらゆら ( と ) 揺ゆ れる for something to sway or swing gently
The flowers are swaying gently in the wind.
〈 物もの 〉 がゆらゆら ( と ) 燃も える for a flame to flicker
The candle flame is flickering.
〈 人ひと 〉 がゆらゆら ( と ) 歩ある く for a person to walk unsteadily, swaying from side to side
The man who had been drinking was walking unsteadily.
体からだ をゆらゆら ( と ) させる to sway one's body gently, e.g. to music
She swayed her body gently to the music.
Related words ふらふら describes dizziness or aimless wandering, while ゆらゆら describes a visible, rhythmic swaying or flickering motion.
ぐらぐら suggests a violent or unstable shaking of heavy objects or structures, whereas ゆらゆら suggests a gentle, light swaying.
ゆらり describes a single, slow sway or tilt, while ゆらゆら describes the same motion repeated continuously.
ゆらゆら describes a slow, gentle swaying (like a flame or curtain), while ぶらぶら implies a heavier, looser dangling motion.
ひらひら suggests light, thin objects flapping with a fluttering motion, whereas ゆらゆら describes a slower, swaying back-and-forth motion.
Don't confuse with ゆるゆる means loose, slack, or slow-paced, while ゆらゆら means swaying or flickering; the two sound similar but describe different qualities.
Written forms ゆらゆら Usage 89%
Standard kana spelling for this mimetic word.
ユラユラ Usage 11%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling used for emphasis or stylistic effect.
揺ゆ ら 揺ゆ ら
Kanji spelling is rare; the word is usually written in kana.
Etymology Onomatopoeic/mimetic word; the exact derivation is uncertain, but it imitates a gentle swaying or flickering motion.
