わくわく
わくわく
wakuwaku
= excited / thrilled / feeling of excited anticipation
わくわく (wakuwaku) is one of Japanese’s most delightful onomatopoeia — the word that captures the feeling of excited anticipation before something wonderful happens. It is the sensation of your stomach doing a pleasant flip before a trip, a concert, or a gift, and it is a perfect example of how Japanese onomatopoeia can express emotional states that many languages need entire phrases to describe.
Wakuwaku is an onomatopoeic expression describing excited anticipation, pleasant excitement, or thrilled eagerness. As an adverb: わくわくする (wakuwaku suru — to feel excited/to be thrilled), わくわくした (wakuwaku shita — felt excited). As an adjective: わくわくした気持ち (wakuwaku shita kimochi — excited/thrilling feeling). The reduplication of ‘waku’ mimics the feeling of something bubbling up or fizzing with energy — a pleasant, light, forward-looking excitement rather than nervous anxiety.
Distinguish wakuwaku from similar emotional words: ドキドキ (dokidoki — heart pounding, more anxious excitement or nervous anticipation), ウキウキ (ukiuki — lighthearted and buoyant, happy-go-lucky feeling), ハラハラ (harahara — on tenterhooks, anxious suspense). Wakuwaku is specifically pleasant, future-oriented excitement — what you feel before something you’re looking forward to, not during or after.
わくわく is always written in hiragana (or katakana for emphasis: ワクワク). The word is pure onomatopoeia — there is no associated kanji meaning. The ‘waku’ sound evokes 湧く (waku — to well up, to spring forth, to bubble), which captures the light, rising sensation of excitement.
Everyday use
明日から旅行なので、今からわくわくしている。
Ashita kara ryokou na node, ima kara wakuwaku shite iru.
My trip starts tomorrow, so I’m already feeling excited.
Casual / Social Media
推しのライブまであと1週間！もうわくわくが止まらない
Oshi no raibu made ato isshukan! Mou wakuwaku ga tomaranai
One more week until my favorite’s live show! The excitement won’t stop
Formal / Cultural context
新製品発表前の消費者期待感の高まりは、マーケティング戦略においてわくわく感を意図的に醸成するティザーキャンペーンの有効性を示すものである。
Shinseihin happyou mae no shohisha kitaikan no takamari wa, maaketingu senryaku ni oite wakuwaku-kan wo ito-teki ni jousei suru tiizaa kyanpeen no yuukou-sei wo shimesu mono de aru.
The rising consumer anticipation before a new product announcement demonstrates the effectiveness of teaser campaigns that intentionally cultivate a sense of excited expectation in marketing strategy.
Japanese onomatopoeia (オノマトペ, onomatope) occupy an unusually rich and important space in the language. Japanese has one of the world’s largest inventories of onomatopoeia — not just for sounds (バン, ban — bang; ゴロゴロ, gorogoro — rumbling) but for tactile sensations (ふわふわ, fuwafuwa — fluffy/light), emotional states (わくわく, doki-doki), and visual impressions (きらきら, kirakira — sparkling). This richness means that Japanese speakers can precisely express emotional and physical states that other languages approximate with descriptive phrases.
わくわく is particularly culturally significant in the context of Japanese enthusiasm culture. Japan’s fandom and otaku communities are characterized by intense, openly expressed positive anticipation — the excitement before a new anime season, game release, or idol concert. Tweets and social media posts flooded with わくわく or ワクワク before major release events are a distinctive feature of Japanese online culture, reflecting both the genuine emotional intensity of fan anticipation and the social practice of sharing and amplifying that anticipation collectively. The word also appears frequently in children’s programming and advertising targeted at children, where its bouncy, reduplicated form captures the feeling of childhood excitement with particular precision.
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