Glossary entry

日本語 term or phrase:

ミーン ミーン

英語 translation:

zing-zing-zing

Added to glossary by Alex Farrell (X)
Oct 29, 2010 13:48
13 yrs ago
13 viewers *
日本語 term

ミーン ミーン

日本語 から 英語 芸術/文学 詩&文学 Manga
This is the sound that cicadas make. The frame in the manga just shows some scenery with buildings and trees. You can't see the cicadas at all. At first I thought of "BUZZ BUZZ," but that's more like a bee or fly's wings. Then I considered "CHIRP CHIRP" like a cricket, but that sound is pretty different, too, and the reader would probably assume they were birds, not crickets. So I decided to go with "MEEN MEEN," but I'm not totally satisfied with that. Anyone have a better idea?
Proposed translations (英語)
4 +4 zing-zing-zing

Proposed translations

+4
37分
Selected

zing-zing-zing

--- Here’s a cicada website giving the onomatopoeia version in English of “zing-zing-zing.” It's the way I hear it in English, too. (Please read below)

http://qctimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/columnists/alma-ga...
Of cicadas, Bob Yapp and Answer Book

For those of you coming to this story late, cicadas are insects whose chorus begins late in the afternoon with the ascending zing-zing-zing sound coming from the trees. The sound is made by vibrating membranes on the sides of the male's abdomen. The song has been likened to someone pressing scissors against a grinding wheel.

Here’s a great cicada website. It has great visuals.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicada


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Note added at 41 mins (2010-10-29 14:30:09 GMT)
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I agree with your buzz buzz (bees, flies) and chirp-chirp (crickets)...Mosquitos buzz, too. Very annoying. Japanese is loaded with onomatopoeic expressions but it's amazing how many there are in English, too!

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Note added at 54 mins (2010-10-29 14:43:11 GMT)
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--- Here are two other websites on the subject of cicadas using "zing-zing-zing" to describe the sounds that the male cicadas make:

http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20090827/articles/90827502...
Male cicadas produce the zing-zing-zing sound by vibrating membranes, known as timbals, on the sides of their abdomen. It's sweet music to the females.

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/2008/aug/060801.htm
The annual cicadas start the insect chorus in late afternoon with the ascending zing-zing-zing sound coming from the trees. The common annual cicada in Iowa is the species known as the scissor-grinder, a name that describes the sound made by the vibrating membranes on the sides of the abdomen of the males.

Peer comment(s):

agree humbird : That's right -- zing-zing-zing. Cicadas are ominipresent in summertime Japan, but virtually absent in American West where I live. Are there any in the East (US)?
2時間
I've discovered that there are cicadas in Thailand, too. When I was a child, I used to collect their beautiful castings (in Japan). They look like golden brown mini space aliens. And, yes, they're in the East (US) too. Thank you, humbird! :-)
agree itchi
2時間
Thank you, Ivan! :-)
agree Shannon Morales : Sounds good, Joyce. I definitely hear it as more of a z-something sound than "Meen-meen." @Humbird, we have them in E. Texas, but not many. It's not bothersome unless one gets inside (!) or sits right outside a window.;)
3時間
Yes, they can get deafeningly loud when they start getting enthusiastic! "Meen-meen" seems more like a kids' chorus accusing someone of being MEAN. Like "You meany! Mean, mean! :-P Thank you, Shannon! :-)
agree Shelley Gehret Sechler : I like Joyce's answer, and would also offer "Zee-zee-zee," which is how they sound to me on Amami. @Humbird, I lived in the Easern US many years and never heard any.
9時間
Yes, they do sound zee-zee'ish. :-) The classic rendering for sleeping (sawing logs) in comics/manga is zzzz-zzzz, or a string of z's in one form or another. So, that can be cicadas taking an afternoon nap on a hot summer day. :-)) Thank you, Shelley! :-)
Something went wrong...
1 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks! Since the cicadas are not visible in the frame, I wonder whether people will understand that it's the sound of cicadas? I might just change it to a bird sound like "CHIRP CHIRP" or "TWEET TWEET.""
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