ぺこぺこ

ぺ

こ

ぺ

こ

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

ぺこぺこする · noun or participle which takes 'suru'

Meanings

very hungry; starving; famished

Onomatopoeic expression for an empty, growling stomach or intense hunger. Often used with お腹が.

Describes repeatedly lowering the head in apology or flattery. Often used with 頭を下げる or 謝る, implying servile behavior.

Describes a thin or weak object bending or caving in under pressure. Can be used literally for materials or figuratively for a person yielding.

〈人ひと〉〉のお腹なかがぺこぺこだsomeone's stomach is growling with hunger
朝あさごはんを食たべなかったので、お腹なかがぺこぺこだ。
I didn't eat breakfast, so I'm starving.
ぺこぺこ頭あたまを下さげるto bow one's head repeatedly in a servile way
彼かれは上じょう司しにぺこぺこ頭あたまを下さげて謝あやまった。
He bowed his head repeatedly to his boss, apologizing obsequiously.
薄うすい〈物もの〉がぺこぺこするa thin object flexes or buckles (in and out)
この缶かんは薄うすくて、押おすとぺこぺこする。
This can is thin, and it buckles in and out when you press it.
〈人ひと〉にぺこぺこするto be obsequious or fawning toward someone
彼かれはお客きゃくさんにいつもぺこぺこしている。
He's always fawning over customers.

空くう腹ふくN1sense 1
空腹 is the formal, written word for hunger, while ぺこぺこ is a casual, vivid way to say you're starving, often paired with お腹が.
凹へこむN2sense 3
へこむ is the plain verb meaning to dent or cave in, while ぺこぺこ is the onomatopoeic adverb describing the same thin, flexible material bending repeatedly.

満まん腹ぷく sense 1
満腹 means full or stuffed after eating, the opposite of ぺこぺこ's sense of an empty, starving stomach.

ぺこり sense 2
ぺこり describes a single quick bow, while ぺこぺこ implies bowing over and over in an obsequious way.

ぺこぺこUsage49%
Common hiragana spelling; this reading is high-priority.
ペコペコUsage51%
Katakana spelling is also used, especially in casual or emphatic writing.

Onomatopoeic word mimicking a hollow, empty sound (stomach) or the motion of bending and bowing repeatedly. The exact origin is uncertain.