How to say "trickle" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- prenominal modifierA katakana loanword for the technical senses of 'trickle' in fields such as economics and electronics; it is not the word for water dripping, so it is seldom what you want for everyday liquid senses.
- 滴るしたたるgodan verb, intransitive verbThe verb for liquid falling drop by drop: use it when water, rain or sweat drips or trickles down, as in sweat trickling from one's brow after hard work.
- 滴りしたたりnounThe noun counterpart of 滴る, for the dripping or trickle itself — the drops of water or the thin flow — as in the trickle of water from a spring.
- adverb (with と)An onomatopoeic word for water trickling in a thin stream, evoking the sight and sound of a small flow, as when water runs thinly from a tap or pipe.
Choose the loanword 「トリクル」 for technical senses in economics or electronics; for water, use the verb 「滴る」 or its noun 「滴り」, or 「チロチロ」 when evoking a thin, visible stream of water.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
