Entry
もくもく
mokumoku
Mokumoku describes thick, voluminous smoke, clouds, or steam continuously billowing or rolling upward.
Meaning
Quick Meaning
It conveys the strong visual image of a dense mass expanding and rising into the air, such as smoke pouring out of a chimney or a cumulonimbus cloud growing in the sky.
- billowing smoke
- rolling clouds
Sense Map
Smoke & Steam
Used for thick smoke or steam continuously pouring out and rising.
煙がもくもく上がる。
Clouds
Used for dense, puffy clouds like cumulonimbus growing and rolling upward.
入道雲がもくもく湧き上がる。
Usage Note
How to Use
もくもく（と）+ verb
Acts as an adverb modifying verbs like 上がる (to rise), 出る (to come out), or 湧く (to well up) to show the manner of thick billowing.
もくもく + verb
How to Use
Common Phrases
煙がもくもく
billowing smoke
もくもくと上がる
to rise in thick clouds
もくもく湧く
to well up (of clouds)
雲がもくもく
rolling thick clouds
Nuance
Context Nuance
| Common Contexts | Nuance | Usage Note |
|---|---|---|
| Fires or chimneys | neutral | Commonly describes thick black or white smoke pouring out aggressively. |
| Summer weather | neutral | Often used to describe thunderclouds (入道雲) rapidly rolling and growing in the sky. |
Similar Words
Comparison Table
| Similar Words | When to Use | Not the Same as | Mini Example |
|---|---|---|---|
むくむく むくむく / similar | Also used for thick smoke, but extends to things growing plump or emotions welling up inside one's heart. | Mokumoku is strictly a visual description for billowing gas, smoke, or clouds, and is never used for human emotions. | 煙がむくむく上がる。 |
もわっと もわっと / similar | Used when a thick cloud of heat, steam, or smell suddenly hits your face or body. | Mowatto focuses on the sensory feeling of heat or odor hitting you, while mokumoku is purely a visual description of billowing. | 熱気がモワッと広がる。 |
Usage Note
Common Mistakes
Using it for thin, wispy smoke.
Mokumoku is only for thick, dense, and voluminous smoke or clouds.
Using it to describe water bubbling in a pot.
It describes gas, vapor, or dust rising into the air, not liquids.
Examples
Examples
火事の現場から黒い煙がもくもくと上がっている。
かじのげんばからくろいけむりがもくもくとあがっている。
Black smoke is billowing up from the scene of the fire.
VisualUsed for dense, thick smoke that continuously increases in volume.
工場の煙突から白い煙がもくもく出ている。
こうじょうのえんとつからしろいけむりがもくもくでている。
White smoke is pouring out continuously from the factory chimney.
VisualBesides black smoke, it is equally common for thick white smoke or steam.
夏の空に入道雲がもくもく湧き上がってきた。
なつのそらににゅうどうぐもがもくもくわきあがってきた。
Cumulonimbus clouds billowed up in the summer sky.
VisualA very common combination with 'nyuudougumo' (cumulonimbus clouds).
お湯を沸かしたら、やかんから湯気がもくもくと出た。
おゆをわかしたら、やかんからゆげがもくもくとでた。
When boiling water, thick steam billowed from the kettle.
VisualCan also be used for steam if the volume is large and thick.
トラックが走った後、砂ぼこりがもくもく舞い上がった。
とらっくがはしったあと、すなぼこりがもくもくまいあがった。
After the truck drove by, a thick cloud of dust billowed up.
VisualThick dust suspended in the air blocking visibility is also often described with this word.
Similar Words
むくむく
mukumuku
Describes something vigorously swelling or expanding, such as billowing clouds, welling emotions, or a plump and shaggy appearance. Also used for smoke, but mukumoku can be used for emotions welling up or chubby bodies.
モワッと
mowatto
Describes the sudden sensation of being enveloped by something thick in the air, such as stifling heat, a cloud of steam, or a strong smell. Focuses on the physical sensation of hot or stuffy air hitting you, rather than just the visual shape of smoke.
Questions
Can I use mokumoku for fog?
If the fog is extremely thick and rolling into an area like a physical cloud, yes. But steady, lingering fog is usually just 霧が濃い (thick fog).
Does it apply to strong smells?
No, mokumoku describes a visual state. For strong smells wafting in the air, use words like プンプン (punpun).
Is it the same as the word 黙々 (mokumoku)?
They sound exactly the same, but 黙々と (mokumokuto) means 'to work silently and steadily' and is completely unrelated to smoke.
Source Details
- Entry ID
- 2009910
- Source
- JMdict_english
- Revision
- -
- Review notes
- No special notes
- Active language
- English
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