くにゃくにゃ

くにゃくにゃ
adverb, onomatopoeia
limp; floppy; bending easily
descriptive
1. limp; floppy; soft and bendy
A mimetic word (擬態語(ぎたいご)) for something so soft that it has no stiffness of its own and bends or collapses under the slightest force — melted plastic, an overcooked noodle, a sleeping child's arm.
体(からだ)がくにゃくにゃになった。
My body went completely limp.
熱(ねつ)でスプーンがくにゃくにゃに曲(ま)がった。
The spoon bent limply in the heat.
この人形(にんぎょう)は中(なか)に針金(はりがね)が入(はい)っていないので、くにゃくにゃして立(た)たない。
This doll has no wire inside, so it is too floppy to stand up.

Used both of physical objects that lack rigidity and of a body with no strength in it. Common as くにゃくにゃになる (to go limp) and as a な-form modifier, くにゃくにゃな.

Common patterns

Similar words

  • ぐにゃぐにゃ: limp, misshapen — the voiced form; heavier and more deformed
  • ふにゃふにゃ: soft and limp — emphasizes softness to the touch rather than bending
  • やわらかい: soft — the neutral adjective, with no image of collapsing

Related Words

Compare: ぐにゃぐにゃ (limp, misshapen)
Compare: ふにゃふにゃ (soft and limp)
Related: くねくね (winding)
general
Added 2026.8.2 0:17 · Revised 2026.9.30 23:12
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