The Japanese language is known for having copious amounts of onomatopoeia (a general term for imitative and mimetic words), of which a large amount is used in everyday conversation. This study selected everyday vocabulary, and describe the characteristics of onomatopoeia used on everyday basis by native speakers of Japanese. The conclusion for research is as follows: the selected everyday vocabulary has a function as mimetic words. Furthermore, 36% of the selected vocabulary has usages not restricted to the mimetic function. In addition, based on the Word List by Semantic Principle (2004), the most commonly observed semantic category was the so-called “abstract relations”. Additionally, onomatopoeia related to the category of “mind” was the most common out of secondary items.
https://ror.org/03xg1f311 
