How to say "pounding" in Japanese

• どんどんJLPT N4approx.Common
  adverb (with と)Covers pounding as a loud, repeated impact sound — drumming, beating, or banging. Think of heavy, rhythmic noise, as of someone banging on a door.
  だれかがドアをどんどんたたいている。↗

  Someone is battering at the door.
• ガンガンCommon
  adverb (with と), suru verbCovers the pounding, throbbing sensation of a bad headache — pain so intense the head feels like it is splitting. This is the word for a pounding head, not for physical banging sounds.
  まだ頭あたまはがんがんするけど熱ねつはもうないよ。↗

  My head's still pounding but I don't have a temperature any more.

Use 「どんどん」 for pounding as a physical noise — drumming, beating, or banging — and 「ガンガン」 for the pounding, throbbing pain of a headache, as in a splitting headache.

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

• どんどんdrumming (noise)
• ばくばくpounding (of one's heart)
• 動悸どうきpalpitation (of the heart)
• どくんheavy heartbeat
• ずきんthrobbing (pain)
• ずきんずきんthrobbing (pain)
• 心悸しんきpalpitation (of the heart)
• ときめきbeating (of the heart, with joy, excitement, etc.)
• がんがんthrobbing (headache)
• 轟きとどろきbeating