Japanese Mimetic Words: ばらばら

Japanese Mimetic Words: Bara Bara ばらばら – Review Notes

Today’s Japanese Mimetic Word is ばらばら (barabara). This word has many meanings and is used very frequently in everyday conversation. Read more and learn the different ways to use ばらばら (barabara)

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★　Today we learned another Japanese Mimetic Word.

★　Mimetic Words are words that mimic sounds, feelings, or senses (learn more)

★　Today’s mimetic word is ばらばら (barabara). It is also often written using katakana: バラバラ

★　ばらばら (barabara) has many meanings.

★　One meaning is scattered.

★　For example, おもちゃがばらばらにちらばっていた (omocha ga barabara ni chirabatteita) – “Toys lay scattered about.”

★　ばらばら (barabara) can also mean “break”, “tear”, or “rip apart”.

★　For example, 犬が靴をばらばらにした (inu ga kutsu o barabara ni shita) – “The dog ripped up the shoes.”

★　ばらばら (barabara) can also mean “separate” or “break up”.

★　For example, 家族がばらばらになった (kazoku ga barabara ni natta) – “The family separated.”

★　There are many ways to use ばらばら (barabara). Some of the most common patterns are to use ばらばら (barabara) in combination with the particle に (ni) and the verb する (suru – to do) or なる (naru – to become).

★　ばらばらにする (barabara ni suru) – to rip something up, to mix something up, to scatter something.

★　ばらばらになる (barabara ni naru) – to become separated, to break up

★　ばらばら (barabara) can also be combined with other verbs like 散らばる (chirabaru) – scattered. In this case, ばらばら (barabara) is describing the way that something is scattered about.

★　ばらばら (barabara) is often used to describe something that is not in order. For example, 順番がばらばら (junban ga barabara) – out of order, not in order. 順番 (junban) means order, so literally it’s like saying “the order is scattered”.

★　Since there are many different English words for ばらばら (barabara), it might be helpful for you to remember it as an image. Although there are many different ways that it is used, they are all somewhat similar in image.

★　If you have seen the anime One Piece, you might remember the fruit that Buggy had called ばらばらの実 (barabara no mi) – “scattering fruit” or “splitting fruit”. If you ate this fruit, you would be immune to slashing attacks and you would be able to control the split up pieces of your body.

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Conclusion:

Today we learned about the Japanese mimetic word ばらばら (barabara). If you have any questions, leave a comment below!

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