The Sound of Hearty Eating

ぱくぱく (pakupaku) describes eating with quick, repeated bites — happily working through a meal mouthful after mouthful. It also describes a mouth opening and closing on its own, like a goldfish at the surface of a tank or someone silently mouthing words.

ぱくぱく belongs to the giyougo (擬容語) category, capturing the manner of an action. The doubled sound evokes the lips popping open and shut again and again, whether to eat or just to gape.

When to Use ぱくぱく

Use ぱくぱく for someone eating with obvious appetite and speed — kids cleaning their plates, or anyone enjoying food so much they can’t stop. The common pattern is 「ぱくぱく食べる」 (to eat heartily). For a fish or a mouth moving, use 「口をぱくぱくさせる」. A single big bite is ぱくっ (pakutto).

Fun Fact

The ghost-like enemies in the Japanese version of a famous arcade game are tied to this word, and the maze-chomping hero’s name itself comes from パクパク — the sound of his mouth opening and closing to gobble up dots. Once you know the word, you can never unhear it.