A1 Idiom Neutral

ドキドキする

dokidoki suru

Heart pounding / Excited

Phrase in 30 Seconds

Use 'ドキドキする' to describe the feeling of your heart racing due to excitement, nervousness, or anticipation.

  • Means: To have a racing heart from strong emotions like joy or fear.
  • Used in: Dating, waiting for exam results, or watching a scary movie.
  • Don't confuse: It is not used for physical heart conditions like arrhythmia.
Heart icon + Sound effect = Emotional anticipation

Explanation at your level:

This phrase means your heart is beating fast. You use it when you are happy, excited, or a little bit nervous. It is very common in daily life.
Used to describe the physiological reaction to strong emotions. It is a 'suru-verb' that expresses how you feel when you are anticipating something important, like a date or an exam.
An onomatopoeic idiom representing the sound of a heartbeat. It functions as a versatile verb to describe emotional arousal, spanning from romantic attraction to anxiety-inducing suspense. It is essential for natural-sounding Japanese.
This idiom serves as a bridge between physical sensation and emotional state. It is frequently employed to convey the 'butterflies' of anticipation. Its usage is highly dependent on the speaker's tone and facial expression, making it a nuanced tool for emotional expression.
As a quintessential example of Japanese mimetic words (giseigo), 'dokidoki' encapsulates the somatic experience of emotion. It is deeply embedded in the cultural lexicon, often used to signal vulnerability or romantic tension in a way that avoids the bluntness of more clinical emotional descriptors.
The term 'dokidoki' functions as a cognitive-linguistic marker for emotional intensity. By externalizing the internal rhythm of the heart, it allows speakers to navigate the boundary between private somatic experience and public social performance. It is a hallmark of the Japanese 'affective' vocabulary, where sound-symbolism provides a nuanced framework for subjective states.

Bedeutung

To feel excited, nervous, or have one's heart beat fast.

🌍

Kultureller Hintergrund

Used heavily in manga to show romantic tension.

💡

Context is key

Smile for happy, frown for nervous.

Bedeutung

To feel excited, nervous, or have one's heart beat fast.

💡

Context is key

Smile for happy, frown for nervous.

Teste dich selbst

Fill in the blank with the correct form.

明日のデート、楽しみで＿＿＿＿＿。

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: ドキドキしている

Use the progressive form for a current state of feeling.

🎉 Ergebnis: /1

Häufig gestellte Fragen

1 Fragen

No, it is casual.

Verwandte Redewendungen

🔗

ワクワクする

similar

Excitedly looking forward to something.

Wo du es verwendest

💖

First Date

A: 今、ドキドキしてる？

B: うん、すごくドキドキする。

informal
📝

Exam Results

A: 結果、どうだった？

B: 見るのがドキドキするよ。

neutral

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of a 'Doki' (a drum beat) hitting your chest twice. Doki-Doki = Heart-Thump.

Visual Association

Imagine a cartoon heart jumping out of a chest and dancing because it's so excited.

Rhyme

Doki-doki, heart is jumpy.

Story

Ken is waiting for his date. His heart goes Doki-doki. She arrives, and it goes even faster. He is so nervous but happy.

Word Web

心臓緊張興奮胸鼓動期待

Herausforderung

Say 'dokidoki' every time you feel nervous or excited today.

In Other Languages

Spanish high

El corazón me late a mil

Japanese uses a sound effect; Spanish uses a numerical hyperbole.

French high

Avoir le cœur qui bat

French is more literal; Japanese is onomatopoeic.

German high

Das Herz klopft

The sound verb is different.

Japanese self

ドキドキする

N/A

Arabic high

قلبي يدق بسرعة

Arabic is descriptive; Japanese is mimetic.

Chinese high

心跳加速

Chinese uses a formal idiom; Japanese uses a casual sound word.

Korean very_high

두근두근하다

None, they are effectively cognates in usage.

Portuguese moderate

Coração disparado

Portuguese focuses on the speed/intensity.

Easily Confused

ドキドキする vs. ハラハラする

Both involve heart feelings.

Hara-hara is for worry/suspense.

FAQ (1)

No, it is casual.

War das hilfreich?

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