カサカサ
かさかさ
adverb, onomatopoeia
dry and rough; rustling
1.
dry and rough; parched; flaky
Describes the state of skin, lips, or surfaces that have become dry and rough, lacking moisture.
冬になると肌がカサカサになる。
In winter, my skin gets dry and rough.
唇がカサカサで痛い。
My lips are dry and cracked, and they hurt.
ハンドクリームを塗らないと手がカサカサになってしまう。
If I don't apply hand cream, my hands get all dry and rough.
2.
rustling; dry scratching sound
The sound made by dry leaves, paper, or other light, dry objects rubbing against each other.
落ち葉がカサカサと音を立てた。
The fallen leaves rustled.
紙がカサカサと擦れる音が聞こえた。
I could hear the rustling sound of paper rubbing together.
草むらでカサカサという音がして、小さな虫が出てきた。
There was a rustling sound in the grass, and a small bug came out.
カサカサ is an onomatopoeic/mimetic word (giongo/gitaigo). It can function as an adverb (カサカサと), a な-adjective (カサカサな肌), or with する (カサカサする).
Sense 1 (dryness) is commonly used for skin care and weather-related talk. Sense 2 (rustling) imitates the actual sound of dry materials rubbing together.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- ガサガサ: rough, coarse — stronger and rougher than カサカサ; also used for rustling sounds (louder)
- しっとり: moist, smooth — the opposite of カサカサ for skin
- パリパリ: crispy, dry and cracking — for food or extremely dry surfaces