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This article outlines different categories of onomatopoeia and the specificities of Japanese language, based on research on mangas. Onomatopoeia is present throughout spoken and written Japanese, both in literary and familiar forms, demonstrating the relationship between language and sensation. From the liquid noises of oral eroticism to the sound of “total” silence, onomatopoeia gives a unique support to the drives, as close to the body as possible. The analogy between onomatopoeia and certain elements of dreams and unconscious formulations in general is examined. Onomatopoeia appeals to archaic parts of us where sensations are no longer separate from perceptions. It is a linguistic manifestation of primary processes and of the force of infantile sexuality. In manga there is a strong relationship between the aesthetics of the graphic sign, its perception, and the sensation that onomatopoeia conveys. As the presence of the body in spoken and written language in Japan, onomatopoeia translates bodily perceptions and the murmur of organs, demonstrating the relationship between instinct and language as a form of symbolization.