ぶくぶく

ぶくぶく
adverb
bubbling; getting fat
onomatopoeiadescriptive
1. bubbling, gurgling
Onomatopoeia for the sound and appearance of bubbles rising, such as in boiling water or underwater.
お湯(ゆ)がぶくぶく沸(わ)いている。
The water is bubbling as it boils.
ぶくぶくと泡(あわ)が出(で)てきた。
Bubbles started coming up.
子供(こども)がストローでぶくぶくと牛乳(ぎゅうにゅう)に息(いき)を吹(ふ)き込(こ)んでいる。
The child is blowing bubbles in the milk with a straw.
2. getting fat, puffing up
Mimetic word describing someone becoming noticeably overweight or bloated.
最近(さいきん)ぶくぶく太(ふと)ってきた。
I've been getting fat lately.
食(た)べすぎてぶくぶくになった。
I got bloated from overeating.
運動(うんどう)しないで毎日(まいにち)お菓子(かし)を食(た)べていたら、ぶくぶく太(ふと)ってしまった。
From eating snacks every day without exercising, I got really fat.

Type: Onomatopoeia (giseigo) for bubbling; mimetic (gitaigo) for weight gain. The two senses share the image of something swelling with air.

Two distinct meanings

1. BUBBLING - boiling water, air bubbles rising underwater, 発酵(はっこう) (fermentation)
2. WEIGHT GAIN - putting on weight visibly and unhealthily; often used self-deprecatingly

Common patterns

  • ぶくぶく沸(わ)く - to boil with bubbles
  • ぶくぶく太(ふと)る - to get fat (usually in the ～てくる/～てしまう form, stressing the change)
  • ぶくぶくになる - to become bloated or puffed up

SIMILAR ONOMATOPOEIA (bubbling):

SIMILAR MIMETIC (weight):

  • でぶでぶ - fat (blunt, derogatory)
  • ぽっちゃり - plump (softer, can be complimentary)

Nuance: The weight sense is harsh. It is normal about oneself, but describing another person as ぶくぶく太(ふと)っている is insulting.

Related Words

Related: ぐつぐつ (simmering (onomatopoeia))
Related: 太(ふと)る (to gain weight)
Compare: ぽこぽこ (lighter, sparser bubbling)
Compare: ぽっちゃり (plump)
Compare: ぷくぷく (plump)
Compare: ごぼごぼ (gurgling (sound of water draining or bubbling out))
general
Added 2026.1.18 19:29 · Revised 2026.9.2 12:02
06500/06935_bukubuku