びしょびしょ

also: びちょびちょ

び

しょ

び

しょ

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', na-adjective

soaked; drenched; sopping wet

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Describes something thoroughly wet, often unpleasantly so. Common as びしょびしょだ, びしょびしょになる, or before a noun as びしょびしょの.

急きゅうな雨あめで服ふくがびしょびしょになった。

My clothes got soaked in the sudden rain.

びしょびしょの靴くつ下したを脱ぬいだ。

I took off my sopping wet socks.

2

adverb, adverb taking the 'to' particle

in a steady wet drizzle; with rain falling incessantly

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Mimetic adverbial use, mainly with rain falling continuously or wetly. It is narrower than the adjective sense and is not a general adverb for all kinds of incessant action.

朝あさから雨あめがびしょびしょと降ふり続つづいている。
The rain has been falling in a steady wet drizzle since morning.

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉がびしょびしょになるfor something to become soaked/drenched
靴くつがびしょびしょになった。
My shoes got soaked.
雨あめがびしょびしょ降ふるfor rain to fall in a steady, drenching drizzle
朝あさから雨あめがびしょびしょ降ふっている。
It's been raining steadily and heavily since morning.
〈物もの〉をびしょびしょにするto get something thoroughly soaked
雨あめで服ふくをびしょびしょにしてしまった。
I ended up getting my clothes completely soaked in the rain.
びしょびしょの〈物もの〉sopping wet ~
びしょびしょの傘かさを玄げん関かんに置おいた。
I put my drenched umbrella by the entrance.

Related words

ずぶ濡ぬれN1sense 1
ずぶ濡れ is a noun/na-adjective meaning completely soaked, while びしょびしょ is the reduplicated mimetic word for the same soaked state.
びちゃびちゃ sense 1
びちゃびちゃ often adds a sense of messy, splashy wetness or the sound of water, whereas びしょびしょ simply emphasizes thorough soaking.
グチョグチョ sense 1
ぐしょぐしょ is a near-identical mimetic word for being soaked, sometimes felt as slightly more informal or emphatic than びしょびしょ.
びっしょりN2
びしょびしょ can also suggest a squelchy, dripping mess, whereas びっしょり emphasizes thorough soaking without that messy nuance.
汗あせだく
びしょびしょ is a general onomatopoeia for being soaking wet from any liquid, while 汗だく specifically describes being drenched in sweat.

Opposites

カラカラ sense 1
カラカラ describes something bone-dry or parched, the opposite extreme from びしょびしょ's thorough wetness.

Don't confuse with

しとしとN1sense 2
しとしと describes a gentle, quiet drizzle, while びしょびしょ (sense 2) describes a heavier, incessant, drenching rain.

Written forms

びしょびしょUsage65%
Common hiragana spelling for this mimetic word.
ビショビショUsage28%
Katakana spelling used for emphasis or a more graphic mimetic effect.
びちょびちょUsage8%
Variant hiragana form with a similar wet, soggy feel; often slightly more colloquial or vivid.
ビチョビチョ
Katakana spelling of the びちょびちょ variant, often used for emphasis.

Etymology

A Japanese mimetic reduplication expressing wetness. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.