わんさ

わ

ん

さ

Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

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.

観かん光こう客きゃくがわんさと押おし寄よせた。
Tourists came flooding in in great numbers.
公こう園えんには子こ供どもたちがわんさといた。
The park was swarming with children.

noun

minor actress; bit-part actress; female extra

abbreviationcolloquialdated term

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.

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉がわんさと来くるfor a crowd of people to come pouring in
祭まつりの日ひには観かん光こう客きゃくがわんさと来くる。
On festival days, tourists come pouring in.
〈物もの〉がわんさとあるfor there to be a huge amount of something
冷れい蔵ぞう庫こに食たべ物ものがわんさとある。
There's a mountain of food in the fridge.
〈人ひと〉がわんさといるfor there to be crowds of people
会かい場じょうには人ひとがわんさといた。
The venue was packed with people.

Related words

たくさんN5sense 1
たくさん is a general, everyday quantifier for 'many' or 'a lot', while わんさ adds a lively, bustling nuance of things swarming or piling up all at once.
わんさガール
わんさガール is the full, unabbreviated term for a bit-part actress, while わんさ is its dated colloquial shortening in the same sense.
どっとN2sense 1
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 sense 1
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.

Opposites

ちらほらN1sense 1
ちらほら describes things appearing sparsely, here and there, the opposite of わんさ's sense of crowding in great numbers.

Word family

わんさガール
minor actress; bit-part actress; female extra

Written forms

わんさUsage90%
Kana-only adverb and noun; no kanji spelling is given.
ワンサUsage10%

Etymology

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.