ぺこぺこ
ぺこぺこ
adverb
starving; bowing repeatedly
1.
starving; very hungry
Describes the feeling of being extremely hungry, with an empty stomach.
お腹がぺこぺこだ。
I'm starving.
昼ごはんを食べなかったから、ぺこぺこです。
I'm really hungry because I skipped lunch.
朝から何も食べていないので、お腹がぺこぺこだ。
I haven't eaten anything since this morning, so I'm starving.
たくさん運動したから、お腹がぺこぺこで何でも食べられる。
I exercised a lot, so I'm so hungry I could eat anything.
子どもたちが「お腹ぺこぺこ」と言いながら学校から帰ってきたので、すぐにおやつを出した。
The children came home from school saying 'we're starving,' so I immediately put out snacks.
2.
bowing repeatedly; being obsequious
Describes the action of bowing repeatedly, often in an excessively flattering manner.
上司にぺこぺこ頭を下げる。
To bow repeatedly to one's boss.
Often implies excessive or insincere flattery
あの人はいつもぺこぺこしている。
That person is always being obsequious.
お客さんにぺこぺこするのも仕事のうちだ。
Bowing to customers is part of the job.
偉い人の前ではぺこぺこするのに、後輩には態度が大きい。
They bow obsequiously to important people, but act arrogant toward juniors.
謝るとき、ぺこぺこと何度も頭を下げて、相手に許してもらった。
When apologizing, I bowed repeatedly and was forgiven by the other person.
ぺこぺこ is a mimetic word (擬態語) with two unrelated meanings.
SENSE 1 — HUNGRY:
- お腹がぺこぺこ: I'm starving
- Casual and friendly. Common among children and in everyday speech.
- Mimics the feeling of an empty, hollow stomach.
SENSE 2 — BOWING:
- ぺこぺこ頭を下げる: to bow repeatedly
- ぺこぺこする: to act obsequiously, to grovel
- Often has a negative nuance, implying excessive flattery or servility.
- Mimics the repeated up-and-down motion of bowing.
REGISTER:
Both senses are informal/colloquial. The hungry sense is particularly common in spoken Japanese.