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In an informal conversation with a new friend, I was discussing 擬態語. She offered the word もやもや as an example, meaning "to be horny (i.e.., desiring sex)." After clarifying the meaning, I left it at that. When I looked it up I see this definition:

もやもや moyamoya · モヤモヤ

adverb / noun or participle with aux. verb する → conjugation: hazy;  murky;  misty;  foggy;  fuzzy; —Onomatopoeia.

「あっぱれ!」天使はそういうと、稲妻が走るもやもやの煙の中へ消えていった。 "Done!" says the angel, and disappears in a cloud of smoke and a bolt of lightning.

adverb / noun / noun or participle with aux. verb する → conjugation: gloomy;  feeling depressed;  feeling sad; —Onomatopoeia.

In any case, it is apparent that Tangorin.com is making a mistake in calling this word onomatopoeia, as it is a mimetic word instead (apparently a Phenomime.)

Is it also a psychomime expressing the state of horniness or did I hear wrong? If I heard wrong does such a psychomime exist?

I would ask this friend directly, but I have a girlfriend and am wary of initating what could be a flirtatious conversation.

*Edit: Kotobank has this definition so I think I heard right:

色情がむらむらと起こるさま。「数々の通はせ文、清十郎も―となりて」〈浮・五人女・一〉

Is this expression common and easily understandable? Is the meaning different than むらむら?

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    Are you sure it wasn't ムラムラ?
    – ssb
    Jun 5, 2013 at 17:00
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    もやもや has many different meanings... but one of those meanings could include what you are describing: (see definition 5 on this kotobank.jp entry.)
    – summea
    Jun 5, 2013 at 17:14
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    「むらむら」をhornyの意味で使うようになったのはけっこう近年です zokugo-dict.com/33mu/muramura.htm ...で、「もやもや」はあまりhornyの意味で使わないです。どちらかというと「煙・湯気が立ち込める」「はっきり・すっきりしない」「気分が晴れない」などの意味で使うことが多いです。ちなみに、「もやもや病」っていう病気があってね・・・ ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/… (えっ、英語で"Moyamoya disease"!?)
    – user1016
    Jun 5, 2013 at 21:20
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    @Chocolate maybe that should be an answer
    – ssb
    Jun 6, 2013 at 9:21
  • @ssb どおしようwwwww
    – user1016
    Jun 10, 2013 at 19:49

3 Answers 3

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Based on my experience, it seems that "もやもや" meaning "horny" isn't common nowadays.
Yes, as you say, I found out that "もやもや" does have meaning of "being horny," but note that the example came with the definition (「数々の通はせ文、清十郎も―となりて」〈浮・五人女・一〉) is written over 300 yrs ago.

Instead, I often hear "むらむら" to depict it.
(According to this page, using "むらむら" to depict "being horny" is new.)

We do use "もやもや" to depict:

  • mist/smoke hanging over
  • thing/situation being unclear
  • being unhappy/depressed
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    Looks like this question has been "answered" in the comment section. But the "answerer" seems to have disappeared and the question left unanswered for quite long, so I answered instead (I did some research myself as well). If there's problem with this, please tell me so. Feb 25, 2016 at 2:02
  • Why not a community post in then?
    – macraf
    Feb 25, 2016 at 2:18
  • Sorry, I just found your comment. Good idea. (I found similar problem in another community) Feb 25, 2016 at 13:49
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新明解国語辞典 published by Sanseido defines “もやもや” as:

  1. 靄が立ち込めているようで実態がはっきりわからない様子。(例)もやもやした空気 - the state of the substance is unclear as wondering in the thick fog. e.g. hazy (depressed) atmosphere.

  2. 解決したり明らかになったりしないため不安や不満がなくならない様子 (例)党内にもやもやが残る – the state of anxiety and frustration hanging on because of the problem remaining unsolved or not identified. e.g. a strong frustration smolders among the party members.

and むらむら as;

何かを見たり、聞いたことがきっかけとなって起こる、よくない衝動を抑えきれないことを表す。(例)怒りがむらむらとこみあげてくる – describes the status where one is unable to control undesirable emotion triggered by looking at or hearing something. e.g. have a sudden impulse of anger.

Both もやもや and むらむら are common adjective (e.g.もやもやとした感情 – pent-up feeling) and adverb (むらむらと沸き起こる欲情 – simmeringly hot desire). But もやもや relates to uncertainty and vagueness of the state, while むらむら relates to the eruption of uncontrorable passion and impulse. They sounds alike as a reduplication, but are very different in the meaning.

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モヤモヤ is associated with a moist vagina "ready to receive" so to speak.

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  • There are some variety of meaning of モヤモヤ but there is no meaning related to physical sexual things.
    – puhitaku
    Dec 2, 2014 at 15:53

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