ずんずん

〈人ひと〉がずんずん進すすむto advance rapidly and steadily
彼かれは迷まよわずずんずん進すすんで行いった。
He advanced steadily and without hesitation.
ずんずんと〈物もの〉を打うつto strike something with a deep, booming sound
太たい鼓こをずんずんと打うつ音おとが響ひびいた。
The deep booming sound of drums being struck echoed around.
〈人ひと〉がずんずん歩あるくto walk briskly and steadily
子こ供どもたちは山やま道みちをずんずん歩あるいた。
The children walked briskly along the mountain path.
〈数かず〉がずんずん増ふえるto increase rapidly and steadily
参さん加か者しゃの数かずがずんずん増ふえている。
The number of participants is steadily increasing.

Related words

どんどんN4sense 1
どんどん often implies a louder, more vigorous action or sound (like banging or drumming), while ずんずん suggests smoother, more relentless forward movement.
ぐんぐんN3sense 1
ぐんぐん emphasizes vigorous growth or increase, often for physical development, while ずんずん focuses on steady, unimpeded progress.

Opposites

のろのろN3sense 1
のろのろ describes slow, sluggish movement, the opposite of ずんずん's fast, steady momentum.

Don't confuse with

ずきずきN1
ずきずき describes a throbbing pain and sounds similar to ずんずん, but ずんずん describes fast movement or a booming sound, not pain.

Written forms

ずんずんUsage77%
Standard hiragana spelling for this onomatopoeic adverb.
ズンズンUsage23%
Katakana variant, often used for emphasis or in informal writing.

Etymology

Onomatopoeic word mimicking a steady, rhythmic sound or motion. The exact origin is uncertain, but it likely derives from the reduplication of the sound 'zun', suggesting a heavy, continuous beat or step.