adverb taking the 'to' particle
in swarms; in great crowds; plentifully
Describes a large number of people or things gathering or appearing all at once. Often used with いる or 来る. Sense 2 (plentifully) is a natural extension of the crowd sense.
Tourists came flooding in in great numbers.
minor actress; bit-part actress; female extra
Dated colloquial abbreviation of わんさガール, referring to a female extra or bit-part actress in film or TV. Rarely used today.
See also: わんさガール
On festival days, tourists come pouring in.
The park was swarming with children.
In old movies, many minor actresses appeared as extras.
There's a mountain of food in the fridge.
The venue was packed with people.
どっと emphasizes a sudden burst or rush (like laughter or a crowd pouring in at once), whereas わんさ focuses on the sheer density or quantity of people or things.
わんさか is a more emphatic, casual variant of わんさ, both meaning 'in droves', with わんさか often sounding slightly more colloquial.
ちらほら describes things appearing sparsely, here and there, the opposite of わんさ's sense of crowding in great numbers.
minor actress; bit-part actress; female extra
Kana-only adverb and noun; no kanji spelling is given.
The origin is uncertain. It may be a sound-symbolic word (mimetic) evoking a bustling, swarming image. The dated noun sense is an abbreviation of わんさガール.