How to say "creeping" in Japanese

• もぞもぞ
  adverb (with と), suru verbA less common mimetic word for the creeping or crawling of an insect or similar small creature; it vividly pictures the wriggling movement, as of a bug making its way across the floor.
  暗闇くらやみの中なかで何なんかがもぞもぞと動うごいていた。↗

  Something was stirring in the dark.
• 匍匐ほふく
  noun, suru verb, intransitive verbA less common word for creeping or crawling with the body low to the ground, on the belly or hands and knees; it can suggest sneaking — such movement made to avoid being seen.
• 蔓生まんせい
  noun, suru verbA less common word for the botanical sense of creeping: a plant growing along the ground in the manner of a vine; use it for vegetation, not for the movement of people or animals.
• 爬行はこう
  noun, suru verbA less common word for creeping or crawling — moving on all fours or low along the ground, as an animal does; it names the action plainly, without mimetic color or a sneaking overtone.
• 蔓性つるせい
  no-adjectiveA less common word for a plant's vine-like nature — a tendency to climb or creep; where 蔓生 describes the growing itself, 蔓性 characterizes the plant, as in describing its growth habit.

All five are less common choices: pick 「もぞもぞ」 for an insect wriggling along, 匍匐 or 爬行 for crawling low to the ground (匍匐 can suggest sneaking), and 蔓生 or 蔓性 for plants that creep or climb like vines.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• もぞもぞcreeping (of an insect, etc.)
• 匍匐ほふくcreeping
• 蔓生まんせいcreeping (i.e. growing along the ground, etc. similar to a vine)
• 爬行はこうcreeping
• 蔓性つるせいvine-like
• 蔓質つるだちvine-like