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.
肩(かた)がこってがちがちだ。
My shoulders are stiff as a board.
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.
一晩(ひとばん)置(お)いたパンががちがちに固(かた)くなった。
The bread I left out overnight went rock-hard.
道(みち)の雪(ゆき)が凍(こお)ってがちがちになっている。
The snow on the road has frozen rock-hard.
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.
震(ふる)えながら歯(は)をがちがちいわせていた。
He was shivering, his teeth chattering.
怖(こわ)くて歯(は)ががちがちと鳴(な)った。
My teeth chattered with fear.

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 2026.10.9 4:49
08000/08424_gachigachi