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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "shiny" in Japanese?
ピカピカ
pikapika
In Japanese, "shiny" is ピカピカ (pikapika).
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Pronunciation
Pi-ka-pi-ka, four syllables repeating twice, said with a bright, bouncy rhythm that mimics glinting light.
Writing and usage
ピカピカ is written using katakana. It's a adjective, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.
Example sentence
彼の新しい靴はとてもピカピカだった。
kano atarashii kutsu hatotemo pikapika datta.
His new shoes were very shiny.
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How to remember ピカピカ
Pikapika repeats like a flash going off twice — think of Pikachu's sparkly electric shine.
Related words
- ancient 古代 kodai
- modern モダンな modan na
- traditional 伝統的な dentouteki na
- modernized 近代化された kindaika sareta
- stingy ケチ kechi
- humble 謙虚 kenkyo
- arrogant 傲慢だ gouman da
- flexible 柔軟な juunanna
- rigid 硬い katai
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about ピカピカ
How do you pronounce ピカピカ?
Pi-ka-pi-ka, four syllables repeating twice, said with a bright, bouncy rhythm that mimics glinting light.
Is ピカピカ formal or casual?
ピカピカ is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.
How is ピカピカ written in Japanese?
ピカピカ is written using katakana. Romanised, it reads as pikapika.
Where can I practice Japanese words for free?
You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Shiny" in other languages
Curated by Jack Ratcliffe
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