Entry
ひやひや
hiyahiya
Describes the feeling of nervous suspense, anxiety about a potential outcome, or a literal chilly sensation on the skin.
Meaning
Quick Meaning
Expresses the nerve-wracking suspense or anxiety you feel when watching a risky situation unfold. It also describes a cool or chilly physical sensation on your skin, like a cold breeze.
- Nervous anxiety over a risky situation
- A physical chilly or cool sensation
Sense Map
Nervous Suspense
Used when feeling anxious, worried, or in suspense about a precarious situation, as if getting chills from fear.
見ているだけでひやひやする
Chilly Sensation
Describes a physical, pleasantly or unpleasantly cool and chilly sensation on the skin.
ひやひやとした風
Usage Note
How to Use
ひやひやする
The most common verb form, meaning to feel nervous or to be in suspense.
ひやひやさせる
Causative form, meaning to make someone nervous or to keep someone in suspense.
ひやひやした
ひやひやとした
Used to describe a noun that is physically chilly or cool.
How to Use
Common Phrases
ひやひやする
to feel nervous
見ている方がひやひやする
it makes the onlooker nervous
ひやひやさせる
to make someone nervous
ひやひやとした風
a chilly breeze
Nuance
Context Nuance
| Common Contexts | Nuance | Usage Note |
|---|---|---|
| Watching someone walk on a tightrope. | Anxious, suspenseful. | Conveys the nervous feeling of the observer fearing a fall. |
| Feeling a cool autumn breeze. | Physical, descriptive. | Describes the physical chill on the skin. |
Similar Words
Comparison Table
| Similar Words | When to Use | Not the Same as | Mini Example |
|---|---|---|---|
はらはら はらはら / similar | When watching something thrilling, unpredictable, or delicate. | Harahara is more about thrilling suspense or delicate things falling, while hiyahiya emphasizes the nervous chill of potential failure. | はらはらする映画 |
どきどき どきどき / similar | When your heart is pounding from excitement, fear, or exercise. | Dokidoki is the physical sound of a heartbeat, whereas hiyahiya is the feeling of a cold sweat or anxious chill. | 心臓がどきどきする |
Usage Note
Common Mistakes
Using it to describe freezing cold winter weather.
Use buruburu or kinkan for shivering cold; hiyahiya is more for a cool sensation or nervous chills.
Using it for serious, deep emotional trauma.
It is better suited for temporary suspense or nerve-wracking moments.
Examples
Examples
おつかいに行く子どもを見るとひやひやする。
おつかいにいくこどもをみるとひやひやする。
Watching the child go on an errand makes one nervous.
FigurativeDescribes the worried feeling when seeing a child do something risky.
彼の大胆な運転にはいつもひやひやさせられる。
かれのだいたんなうんてんにはいつもひやひやさせられる。
His reckless driving always keeps us in suspense.
FigurativeFocuses on the anxious feeling caused by someone else's actions (causative form).
秋のひやひやとした夜風がとても心地よい。
あきのひやひやとしたよかぜがとてもここちよい。
The chilly autumn night breeze feels very pleasant.
LiteralUsing hiyahiya to describe physical cold or cool temperatures.
彼女のストレートな言い方に、周りの人はひやひやした。
かのじょのすとれーとないいかたに、まわりのひとはひやひやした。
Her blunt way of speaking made the people around her nervous.
FigurativeDescribes an awkward or tense social atmosphere.
車から突然変な音がして、とてもひやひやした。
くるまからとつぜんへんなおとがして、とてもひやひやした。
The car suddenly made a weird noise, and it was very nerve-wracking.
FigurativeShows nervousness due to the fear of an unexpected mechanical failure.
Similar Words
ハラハラ
harahara
Feeling nervous suspense, or the visual state of light objects like tears, leaves, or petals fluttering down. When watching something thrilling, unpredictable, or delicate. Harahara is more about thrilling suspense or delicate things falling, while hiyahiya emphasizes the nervous chill of potential failure.
ドキドキ
dokidoki
A word that mimics the sound and feeling of a fast-beating heart due to nervousness, excitement, or fear. When your heart is pounding from excitement, fear, or exercise. Dokidoki is the physical sound of a heartbeat, whereas hiyahiya is the feeling of a cold sweat or anxious chill.
Questions
Can I use hiyahiya for excitement?
Not usually. It implies anxiety or fear of a bad outcome, not positive excitement.
Is hiyahiya used for physical temperature?
Yes, it can describe a chilly or cool sensation, like a cold wind.
What is the difference between hiyahiya and harahara?
Both describe suspense, but hiyahiya has more of a cold sweat or anxious chill nuance, while harahara can be a thrilling excitement.
Source Details
- Entry ID
- 935991353
- Source
- Internal
- Source URL
- goiryoku.com/onomatopoeia/hiyahiya/
- Review notes
- No special notes
- Active language
- English
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