How does ン work at the end of onomatopoeia?


There seem to be quite a few SFX in manga that end with an `ン`, or `———ん`, or
`...ン`. Some examples:

  * キーンコーンカーンコーン [(1)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/GNDRG.png)
  * しーん [(2)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/rnWD4.jpg)
  * オオオオオオオ…ン…ン… [(3)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/M1z6G.jpg)
  * バチィン [(4)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/OSIMy.jpg)

I have three questions about this phenomenon (the last two assume that I'm
right about the first one):

  1. Do I understand correctly that ン signifies the sound echoing / fading to silence?
  2. If so, how did ン come to represent sound getting quieter?
  3. This question might not make sense, but in these SFX are we supposed to actually "hear" that ン or does it exist just to show the sound disappearing? For example, when seeing キーーーン on the first image, should I have `kiiin` "playing" in my head or just `kiii` that gradually fades to silence?




> Do I understand correctly that ン signifies the sound echoing / fading to
> silence?

While I often feel like the sound is fading out or terminating when I see ン,
this has nothing to do with that function. **This is what we hear**. It's like
the english equivalent of "ng" sound.

"Echoing" here is to extend the last sound, right? If so, it's the function of
ー.

It's true that ン is likely to be placed at the end under the situation you
stated. Since [many animal onomatopoeias contain ン at the
end](http://Since%20many%20animal%20onomatopoeias%20contain%20A%20in%20the%20first%20place)
in the first place, it might be related to the way Japanese perceive sounds.

By the way, **しーん as the SFX of manga** was first introduced by Osamu Tezuka
(Note: This isn't the first time the Japanese used this word). キーンコーンカーンコーン,
the sound of Westminster Chime, was first used [in
1954](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%81%E3%83%A3%E3%82%A4%E3%83%A0) as a
chime in school. So this word shouldn't have existed before 1954 because few
Japanese must have known its sound.

> This question might not make sense, but in these SFX are we supposed to
> actually "hear" that ン or does it exist just to show the sound disappearing?
> For example, when seeing キーーーン on the first image, should I have kiiin
> "playing" in my head or just kiii that gradually fades to silence?

**We hear the sound of ン**. Having said that, these things are just SFX, so
that I rarely read and listen to them seriously while reading manga. What I do
instead is just recognize the word and the situation.




> Do I understand correctly that ン signifies the sound echoing / fading to
> silence?

While I often feel like the sound is fading out or terminating when I see ン,
this has nothing to do with that function. **This is what we hear**. It's like
the english equivalent of "ng" sound.

"Echoing" here is to extend the last sound, right? If so, it's the function of
ー.

It's true that ン is likely to be placed at the end under the situation you
stated. Since [many animal onomatopoeias contain ン at the
end](http://Since%20many%20animal%20onomatopoeias%20contain%20A%20in%20the%20first%20place)
in the first place, it might be related to the way Japanese perceive sounds.

By the way, **しーん as the SFX of manga** was first introduced by Osamu Tezuka
(Note: This isn't the first time the Japanese used this word). キーンコーンカーンコーン,
the sound of Westminster Chime, was first used [in
1954](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%81%E3%83%A3%E3%82%A4%E3%83%A0) as a
chime in school. So this word shouldn't have existed before 1954 because few
Japanese must have known its sound.

> This question might not make sense, but in these SFX are we supposed to
> actually "hear" that ン or does it exist just to show the sound disappearing?
> For example, when seeing キーーーン on the first image, should I have kiiin
> "playing" in my head or just kiii that gradually fades to silence?

**We hear the sound of ン**. Having said that, these things are just SFX, so
that I rarely read and listen to them seriously while reading manga. What I do
instead is just recognize the word and the situation.

