Languages › Japanese What does "pera pera" mean? Question of the Week Vol. 16 Share Flipboard Email Print Japanese Essential Japanese Vocabulary History & Culture Japanese Grammar By Namiko Abe Japanese Language Expert B.A., Kwansei Gakuin University Namiko Abe is a Japanese language teacher and translator, as well as a Japanese calligraphy expert. She has been a freelance writer for nearly 20 years. our editorial process Namiko Abe Updated January 30, 2019 Click here to check out more "Question of the Week". "Pera pera （ぺらぺら）" is a (words mimicking states). They directly express states or actions of people and things. There are a few meanings for "pera pera" depending on the context. (1) Talk fluently Kare wa nihongo ga pera pera desu.彼は日本語がぺらぺらです。 He speaks Japanese fluently. (2) Talkativeness in a negative sense or to chatter. Hiroshi wa himitsu o pera pera hanashite shimaimashita. 博は秘密をぺらぺら話しました。 Hiroshi was so talkative that he told the secret. (3) Thin, flimsy Kono shatsu wa pera pera da. このシャツはぺらぺらだ。 This shirt is flimsy.