Development of a sensorial system to understand Japanese Ideophones in Manga through the use of audio and visuals

抄録

Words formed by Japanese ideophones evoke various situations or movements through sound. In Japan, ideophone is used not only in daily conversation but also in various other situations. Ideophone is used frequently in Manga, which are comics popular in Japanese culture, and it plays a significant role. In short, understanding ideophone is integral to the enjoyment of Japanese Manga. However, it is hard for non-Japanese people who are not familiar with the Japanese language to understand the Japanese ideophones and their unique, sensory word-feel. Therefore, in this study, we developed a system to experience Manga ideophones visually and auditorily. The visual component adds movement to the letters of the ideophones, and the audio function allows the user to hear the actual sound it represents by clicking on it. Through this audio-visual system, users can recognize the presence of Manga ideophones and understand its meaning without having to use Japanese.