On January 31, 2026, AIPPI Japan Journal shared insights from Rebecca Liebowitz on onomatopoeia. The journal’s 51st volume explored the distinctiveness of trademarks and the determination of similarity from a linguistic perspective.
The following is an excerpt of “Onomatopoeia as Trademarks - Current Situation in Japan and Status in Other Countries,” which Liebowitz contributed to:
“Onomatopoeia” refers to “words that mimic actual sounds to express as language,” such as sound-imitative words and voice-imitative words, and “also include[s] state-imitative words in its broad meaning,” but it is difficult to give a unified definition. Examples of sound-imitative words are “zaa-zaa (pouring rain)” or “wan-wan (barking of dogs),” which linguistically express the actual sounds by similar characters. In contrast, examples of state-imitative words are “niya-niya (grinning),” “fura-fura (un-steady)” and “yuttari (spacious),” which linguistically express, rather than actual sounds themselves, the state or sensation.