Found in Translation: Hearing Wai-wai

Once upon a Sunday, you and your family decided to spend the day out for a picnic in a nearby park. And you, a true blue Lomographer, decided to make it a LomoWalk, with family members being your muses and subjects. Once arriving in the park, the playtime starts, and your baby daughter or your little brother let out a cute laugh or noise and you can't help but immediately turn around with your camera in hand to capture the gleeful smile of the child.

That laugh you just heard? It's called wai-wai, and we're sure many among you analogue grinders can relate to this scenario.

Wai -wai (ワイワイ) is a Japanese word that refers to the sound of children playing. It's not a strict onomatopoeia for children laughing. Instead, wai-wai is a gitaigo. According to Kawa Kawa Learning Studio, gitaigo is a word or words that represent an action, motion, or state, but are not meant to resemble sounds. Often this is because the action, motion, or state makes no sound. Wai-wai is that incomprehensible, random sounds you hear from children going around and around, laughing, whining, shouting during playtime. Most likely you'll see them having an incredulous amount of fun and energy, doing small things that elicit such joy. Think of wide-open, upcurved mouths, crescent-shaped eyes, and fluffy cheeks!

For your beloved little ones, how about capturing a wai-wai portrait of theirs?

2018-07-26 #culture #wai-wai #found-in-translation