がちがち

がちがち
adverb, onomatopoeia
rigid; stiff; frozen solid; clattering
descriptiveonomatopoeia
1. rigid; stiff; tense
describes something or someone that is very stiff, tense, or inflexible
緊張(きんちょう)でがちがちになった。
I became stiff with nervousness.
彼(かれ)はがちがちの保守派(ほしゅは)だ。
He is a rigid conservative.
2. frozen solid; rock-hard
describes something that has become completely hard, like frozen food
冷凍庫(れいとうこ)の肉(にく)はがちがちに凍(こお)っている。
The meat in the freezer is frozen solid.
3. clattering; chattering
mimics the sound of teeth chattering from cold or things clattering together
寒(さむ)くて歯(は)ががちがち鳴(な)った。
My teeth chattered from the cold.

がちがち is a mimetic word (擬態語(ぎたいご)/擬音語(ぎおんご)) that can express both a physical state and a sound. It conveys extreme stiffness, hardness, or rigidity.

Common patterns

Similar words

  • かちかち: similar but softer nuance; often for frozen/hard objects
  • こちこち: stiff, rigid; also used for nervousness
  • ばりばり: energetic, going strong (positive connotation)
  • がちがち is stronger and more emphatic than かちかち

Register

Informal and colloquial. Common in everyday speech.

Related Words

Compare: カチカチ (clicking; hard (softer))
Compare: コチコチ (stiff, rigid)
Compare: ばりばり (energetic, going strong)
general
Added 2026.1.27 9:58 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
08000/08424_gachigachi