ギスギス

ぎ

す

ぎ

す

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

adverb, adverb taking the 'to' particle, noun or participle which takes 'suru'

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Describes an atmosphere, relationship, or manner that is tense, unfriendly, or lacking warmth. Often used with する or とした.

最さい近きん、彼かれとの関かん係けいがギスギスしている。

Lately, my relationship with him has been tense.

adverb, adverb taking the 'to' particle, noun or participle which takes 'suru'

thin and bony; scrawny

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Describes a person or body part that is unhealthily thin, with bones protruding. Less common than the atmosphere sense.

ピリピリ
ピリピリ implies a sharper, more irritable tension, often with a sense of being on edge, while ギスギス suggests a cold, stiff, and unfriendly atmosphere.
ガリガリ
ガリガリ is more common for describing a scrawny body, and can also mean crunching or grinding sounds, while ギスギス in the bony sense is rarer and more literary.

Mimetic word; the exact origin is uncertain, but the reduplicated form suggests a sound-symbolic representation of stiffness or thinness.