Quotes
Japanese meaning of ぬわーーっっ！！
— Pankraz ／ Dragon Quest
Voice sample:
ぬわーーっっ！！ (Nuwāā!!)
English Translation:
Nwaaaaah!!
Original Scene & Cultural Context
Scene in the Original Work:
In Dragon Quest V (1992), the hero's father Pankraz goes into the ancient ruins to save the kidnapped Prince Harry and beats Gema's men, Jami and Gonz. But Gema takes the young hero hostage, so Pankraz cannot fight back and is beaten down. He tells his son that his mother must still be alive and asks him to find her in his place. Then Gema burns him with fire, and this is his last cry.
日本語で読む
『ドラゴンクエストV』（1992年）。主人公の父パパスは、さらわれたヘンリー王子を助けに古代の遺跡へ入り、ゲマの手下ジャミとゴンズを倒す。だがゲマが幼い主人公を人質に取り、パパスは抵抗できずに打ちのめされる。パパスは息子に、母さんはまだ生きているはずだと告げ、自分に代わって探すよう託す。直後にゲマの炎に焼かれ、この叫びを上げる。
Cultural Context:
Pankraz is a strong and beloved father, and his sudden death shocked many players. Because the scream sounds a little funny in such a tragic scene, it spread online as a meme, written in many ways such as 「ぬわーっ」 or with more ー and っ. It may also be used as a joke when something bad suddenly happens to you.
日本語で読む
強く頼もしい父パパスの突然の死は、多くのプレイヤーに衝撃を与えた。悲しい場面なのに叫び声がどこかこっけいに響くこともあり、「ぬわーっ」や、「ー」「っ」の数を変えた形などでネットのネタとして広まった。思いがけない災難にあったときに、冗談で叫ぶこともある。
Grammar & Learning Points
Grammar Point
•「ぬわー」= a scream with no meaning, like "nwaah". •「ーー」= the sound is stretched. •「っっ」= the voice stops sharply. •「！！」= full force.
日本語で読む
•「ぬわー」は意味のない叫び声。•「ーー」で音をのばしている。•「っっ」は声が急に詰まる様子。•「！！」は全力の叫びを表す。
Trap for English Speakers
Japanese often writes screams with small っ and long ー to show how a voice sounds: ぎゃーっ, うわーっ. They are not words, so there is no "correct" spelling; the number of marks shows the strength.
日本語で読む
日本語では「ぎゃーっ」「うわーっ」のように、小さい「っ」や「ー」で叫び声の響きを表す。決まった言葉ではないので、正しい書き方はなく、記号の数で強さを表す。
Example
Example 1Basic Example
足の小指を机にぶつけて、思わず「うわーっ！」と叫んだ。
I stubbed my little toe on the desk and couldn't help yelling, "Waaah!"
Example 2Applied Example
（自分で仕掛けた落とし穴に落ちた忍者が）ぬわーーっっ！！
(A ninja who falls into the pitfall he set himself) "Nwaaaaah!!"
Quick check
Meaning
What does 「ぬわーーっっ！！」 mean?