こだま

こ

だ

ま

Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

こだまする · noun or participle which takes 'suru'

Meanings

usually written using kana alone

Refers to a sound echoing, especially in mountains or large spaces. Can be used as a noun or as a suru-verb (こだまする).

tree spirit; spirit of a tree

In Japanese folklore, a spirit believed to dwell in trees; also used poetically for echoes, as echoes were thought to be the voices of tree spirits.

〈音おと〉が〈場ば所しょ〉にこだまするfor a sound to echo through a place
彼かれの叫さけび声ごえが山やまにこだました。
His scream echoed through the mountains.
〈音おと〉がこだまするfor a sound to reverberate/echo
笑わらい声ごえが部屋へや中じゅうにこだました。
Laughter echoed throughout the room.

反はん響きょうN1sense 1
反響 is the technical, everyday word for an acoustic echo, while こだま is a poetic term often linked to mountains or folklore.
山やま彦びこ sense 1
山彦 specifically means a mountain echo (and the mountain spirit believed to cause it), whereas こだま is used more generally for any echo.
エコー sense 1
エコー is a modern loanword used for echo effects in music, medical imaging, etc., while こだま keeps a more traditional, nature-related feel.

こだまUsage79%
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms are rare or literary.
谺こだまUsage13%
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; specifically associated with echo.
木こ霊だまUsage7%
Rare kanji form; can refer to both echo and tree spirit.
木こ魂だまUsage2%
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; literally 'tree soul'.

Originally referred to a tree spirit (木の霊). The echo meaning likely arose from the folk belief that echoes were the voices of these spirits.