じゅわっと for biting into a mandarin


The expression じゅわっと appears in the text of 佐賀のがばいばあちゃん in a scene where the
protagonist, 昭広, steals some mandarins from somebody's backyard. He bites into
one and that phrase pops up.

The full sentence is as follows:

> 口に入れると、じゅわっと甘酸っぱい果汁が広がる。

p. 181, ch. 14

Maybe: "When I put it into my mouth, the sweet and sour juice burst into my
mouth"?

I couldn't find a definition of じゅわっと in the dictionary which fits the
sentence here. The dictionary says it has something that has to do with meat
that is cooked to perfection, or something like that. However, I assume a
mandarin is not meat. Perhaps it refers to the way the liquid bursts into your
mouth with all the flavour. In context, it seems to suggest something strong
and refreshing. He is very pleased with the flavour.

Please let me know the exact meaning of じゅわっと. Thanks.




[じゅわっ on オノマトペ辞典](http://sura-sura.com/archives/2724.html) has relevant
definition for the onomatopoeia. The word can be used to describe juicy
texture of food, and the sound of cooking food ingredients i.e. steak.

The following text have been quoted.

> 「じゅわっ」の意味とは？
>
>   1. 食べ物が、香りやうまさを感じさせながら、適度に焼けたり、とけたり、泡立つなどするときの力強い音。
>
>   2. 一気に広がってゆくさま。
>
>   3. 水分どが一気ににじみ出るさま。
>
>

For users who need to understand urgently, I have also included English
translation for above text as following.

> What is the meaning of "じゅわっ"?
>
>   1. The vigorous sound of food that gives the feeling of good fragrance or
> taste while being moderately cooked (burned), melted, bubbled etc.
>
>   2. The condition of being spreaded (being filled) all at once.
>
>   3. The condition of [certain amount of] liquid (juice) that exude (seep
> out) all at once.
>
>

Therefore, when the protagonist bites into a mandarin, the word aptly
describes the feeling of tasty juice from the fruit that contained in his
mouth.

> 口に入れると、 **じゅわっと** 甘酸っぱい果汁が広がる。
>
> When [I] put inside [my] mouth, the sweet soury juice [from the fruit]
> **seeps out all at once** and spreads in [my mouth].

In fact, `じゅわっと` acts as an adverb (*1) that further describes how it spreads
in the protagonist's mouth. Without the onomatopoeia, the sentence will only
mention the fact that the juice spreads in the mouth (without any nuance when
he bites into the fruit).

Doesn't `じゅわっと` sound satisfying, as if the reader also bites into the juicy
fruit?

**Remarks**

(*1) `じゅわっと` is the word that modifies the verb `広がる` (spread). Notice that
the word is made of `じゅわっ` + `と`, which has the `~と` form that may be used for
other onomatopoeia as well.




Many onomatopoeia words are not mentioned in dictionaries, invented by mangaka
on the spot, or change their meaning depending on the context/era etc. If you
read a lot of manga you will eventually figure out "the rules" but there are
some articles describing the general principles on how these words are
constructed that could save you some time. I could find this one from Tofugu
which looks like a decent overview:

<https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/japanese-onomatopoeia/>

Check also [the linked essay (PDF)
](https://www.swarthmore.edu/sites/default/files/assets/documents/linguistics/2010_NaomiSharlin.pdf)

There is also a section in [_A Dictionary of Basic Japanese
Grammar_](http://bookclub.japantimes.co.jp/en/id/0454) which is pretty nice
(but not available online).

As for the word in question, here's how it feels to me: `じゅ` is the
liquid/juice spurting out of the fruit and `わっと` is it spreading inside the
mouth (compare 'じわじわ' and `もわもわ` from Tofugu's page).

Some online onomatopoeia dictionaries:

  * <http://thejadednetwork.com/sfx/>
  * <http://mangastudies.com/sfx/>

