カチカチ

Also written コチコチ, カチコチ

Meanings

1. Adverb ticktock
2. chinking (e.g. of a hammer against rock); knocking; clicking; clacking; clattering
3. の-adjective, な-adjective dry and hard; (frozen) stiff
4. hidebound; die-hard; stubborn; obstinate; bigoted
5. scared stiff; tense; nervous; frightened

Example sentences

• 洗面器の水がかちかちに凍った。
  The water in the basin has frozen solid.
• 彼はコチコチの会社人間だから。
  He's just a diehard company man.
• 聞こえる音は時計のカチカチという音だけだった。
  The only sound to be heard was the ticking of the clock.
• 夜寝れない時に限って、時計のカチカチいう音が気になるものだ。
  It's only when I can't sleep at night that the ticking of the clock becomes loud enough to bother me.
• 「何してるの？」「家計簿をね。うちの家計カチカチだから、こういう所からちゃんとしないと」
  "What're you doing?" "The household books. Our finances are pretty tight so we have to do things properly."

Word lists

• Onomatopoeia
• Spoken
• Examples

Jinuma: Japanese Dictionary · Word lists