パラパラ

Likely derived from Old Japanese root ばら (bara, “scattered”). Cognate with ばらばら, バラバラ (barabara, “scattered, loose, in disarray, messy”); parapara implies something softer or lighter than barabara.

• IPA^(key): [pa̠ɾa̠pa̠ɾa̠]

パラパラ (hiragana ぱらぱら, rōmaji parapara)

1. (onomatopoeia): evoking the sound made by a rain or leaves falling: sprinkling, clattering

   雨 (あめ)がパラパラと降 (ふ)っている。

   Ame ga parapara to futteiru.

   There's a bit of rain. / It is sprinkling.

2. (onomatopoeia): evoking the sound made by many pages turning quickly: riffling

   パラパラとページをめくりながら独 (ひと)り言 (ごと)していた。

   Parapara to pēji o mekurinagara hitorigoto shiteita.

   He muttered to himself as he flipped / riffled through the pages.

• ばらばら, バラバラ (barabara)

パラパラ (-na inflection, hiragana ぱらぱら, rōmaji parapara)

1. (onomatopoeia): evoking the image of disordered hair