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 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. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on 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. Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Abe, Namiko. "What does "pera pera" mean?" ThoughtCo, Jan. 29, 2020, thoughtco.com/what-does-pera-pera-mean-4037939. Abe, Namiko. (2020, January 29). What does "pera pera" mean? Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/what-does-pera-pera-mean-4037939 Abe, Namiko. "What does "pera pera" mean?" ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/what-does-pera-pera-mean-4037939 (accessed June 5, 2023). copy citation