ペコペコ
ぺこぺこ
pekopeko
= (stomach) growling with hunger; bowing repeatedly; being sycophantic
ペコペコ is a uniquely versatile Japanese onomatopoeia that captures two seemingly opposite sensations — a hollow, caved-in stomach and the repeated dipping of a head in apology or deference. Both meanings share the same core image: something that caves in or dips down repeatedly, like a soft surface being pressed.
ペコペコ carries three distinct but related meanings in everyday Japanese. First, おなかがペコペコ describes intense hunger — the “peko” sound evokes the hollow, empty feeling of a stomach that has nothing left in it. This usage is colloquial and warm, often used by children and adults alike in casual speech.
Second, ペコペコ頭を下げる describes bowing repeatedly — the head dipping down again and again in apology or gratitude, mirroring the physical motion of something repeatedly caving downward. This contrasts with ペコリ (a single, clean bow of politeness), where the reduplication in ペコペコ emphasizes the repeated, ongoing nature of the bowing rather than one composed gesture.
Third, ペコペコした態度 refers to excessively servile or sycophantic behavior — someone who bows and scrapes too eagerly, prioritizing approval over sincerity. This usage carries a distinctly negative nuance, suggesting the person lacks backbone or dignity.
Japanese learners often reach for おなかがすいた when expressing hunger, but ペコペコ conveys a more visceral, exaggerated sense of emptiness — the kind of hunger that makes your stomach feel hollow. It is more casual and expressive, closer in register to English phrases like “I’m starving” rather than “I’m hungry.”
Do not confuse ペコペコ (repeated bowing) with ペコリ. ペコリ is a single, respectful nod — quick, controlled, socially appropriate. ペコペコ, by contrast, implies repetition to the point of excess. In professional contexts, ペコペコ describing a colleague’s behavior toward a superior usually signals that the speaker finds it embarrassingly over-the-top rather than admirably polite.
Everyday use
朝ごはんを食べ忘れたから、もうおなかがペコペコだよ。
Asagohan wo tabe wasureta kara, mou onaka ga pekopeko da yo.
I forgot to eat breakfast, so my stomach is completely empty already.
Casual / Social Media
待たせてごめん！ペコペコ🙇 本当に反省してる。
Matasete gomen! Pekopeko. Hontou ni hansei shiteru.
Sorry for making you wait! I’m so sorry (bowing repeatedly). I really feel bad about it.
Formal / Cultural context
彼は大口顧客の前ではいつもペコペコしていて、部下からは陰で笑われている。
Kare wa ooguchi kokyaku no mae de wa itsumo pekopeko shite ite, buka kara wa kage de warawareteiru.
He always bows and scrapes in front of major clients, and his subordinates laugh at him behind his back.
In Japanese culture, bowing (お辞儀, ojigi) is the primary physical expression of respect, apology, and gratitude — and the depth and frequency of the bow communicates the sincerity of the feeling. ペコペコ captures the extreme end of this spectrum: bowing so many times in quick succession that the head seems to bounce. In genuine apology or deep gratitude, repeated bowing is culturally expected and sincere. However, when someone bows excessively in a business context purely to flatter a superior or client, the same gesture becomes ペコペコ in its critical sense — a hollow performance of deference rather than authentic respect.
In Japanese visual storytelling and comics, the two meanings of ペコペコ are often played side by side for humorous effect. A character desperate with hunger may visually slump over in the same posture as someone bowing in apology, with the word ペコペコ appearing as the sound effect for both situations. This visual overlap reinforces the shared physical logic of the word — something hollow caving inward — and makes ペコペコ one of the more memorable onomatopoeia for learners encountering it in native Japanese media.