Munya Munya (むにゃむにゃ - Muttering)

Feb 24, 2021 17:05
Munya Munya

Muttering words that do not make sense is sometimes expressed by an onomatopoeia, 'munya munya' (むにゃむにゃ).

This onomatopoeia was probably made just by imitating someone's words that do not make sense; there is no complex etymology.

An online dictionary says that one of the meanings of 'munya munya' is "talking with food in one's mouth," however, I think that this description is wrong.

'Munya munya' can express that one chews and eats food slowly, whereas the most appropriate onomatopoeia, which means to talk with food in one's mouth, is 'mogo mogo' (もごもご).
むにゃむにゃ

意味のわからない言葉をつぶやくさまを、「むにゃむにゃ」という擬声語で表現することがあります。

恐らく、深い語源はなく、意味のわからない発言の音を単に表現しようとして生まれた言葉だと思われます。

「むにゃむにゃ」は特に、寝ぼけているときの不明瞭な発言や、意味不明な寝言を表す際によく使われます。

あるオンライン辞書では "talking with food in one's mouth" とありましたが、 口に食べ物を入れながら話すことを「むにゃむにゃ」とは普通言わないと思います。

「むにゃむにゃ」は、食べ物をゆっくり噛んで食べることを表すことはありますが、食べながら話すことを表す擬声語としては、「もごもご」が最も近いと思います。
No. 1 Lewern's correction
  • Muttering words that do not make sense is sometimes expressed by an onomatopoeia, 'munya munya' (むにゃむにゃ).
  • Muttering words that do not make sense is sometimes expressed by an onomatopoeia, 'munya munya' (むにゃむにゃ). The onomatopoeic phrase "munya munya" is sometimes used to represent the muttering of words that do not make sense.
     This is good English, it's just not the most natural way to say it. But it's not a big deal at all!
  • This onomatopoeia was probably made just by imitating someone's words that do not make sense; there is no complex etymology.
  • This onomatopoeic phrase was probably made just by imitating someone's words that do not make sense. As such, there is no apparent complex etymology at work here.
  • An online dictionary says that one of the meanings of 'munya munya' is "talking with food in one's mouth," however, I think that this description is wrong.
  • An online dictionary says that one of the meanings of 'munya munya' is "talking with food in one's mouth." However, I think that this description is wrong.
     Good English! Just, this should be two sentences. If you ever aren't sure, you're never wrong trying to keep sentences to just one clause. It'll always sound the most natural.
  • 'Munya munya' can express that one chews and eats food slowly, whereas the most appropriate onomatopoeia, which means to talk with food in one's mouth, is 'mogo mogo' (もごもご).
  • Even though 'Munya munya' can express that one chews and eats food slowly, whereas the most appropriate onomatopoeic word is 'mogo mogo' (もごもご), which means to talk with food in one's mouth,
     Good Sentence, just a little out of order.
The main lesson to take away from this entry is that 'onomatopoeia' is more of a concept than a catch-all noun that you would put a definite article in front of. In English, we like to define things with precise details even when it's not really necessary, which is very different from Japanese! So, just a minor issue. Otherwise, I was very impressed with your English.
Toru
Thank you so much for correcting my post!
I learned something new. And I'm glad to hear you say that. :)
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