がつがつ
がつがつ
adverb, suru verb
eating greedily; ravenously
1.
eating greedily; ravenously
Describes eating food quickly and greedily, as if starving. The manner suggests lack of manners or extreme hunger.
子供たちはおやつをがつがつ食べた。
The children wolfed down their snacks.
空腹だったので、ラーメンをがつがつ食べてしまった。
I was hungry, so I devoured the ramen.
2.
being greedy; eager for money or status
Describes an aggressive, greedy pursuit of something, especially money, success, or material things.
お金にがつがつしている人は信用できない。
I can't trust people who are greedy for money.
がつがつ has two related meanings: eating greedily (sense 1) and being greedy for money/status (sense 2). Both carry negative connotations of lacking restraint.
RELATED EXPRESSIONS:
- ぱくぱく: eating with mouth opening and closing (neutral)
- もぐもぐ: munching with mouth closed (neutral/cute)
- ばくばく: eating quickly in large bites
COMMON PATTERNS:
- がつがつ食べる: to eat greedily
- お金にがつがつする: to be greedy for money
- がつがつ働く: to work obsessively for money
Related Words
Related:
ぱくぱく (gobbling)