Your friend ate the last cookie. You cross your arms and puff out your cheeks, but you are half smiling. That is ぷんぷん.
What it means
ぷんぷん is anger you can see, but it isn't scary: puffed cheeks and a little huff. It is often half a joke, a way to show you are a little annoyed.
How to use it
Use it with します: ぷんぷん して います. Or say it alone, as a cute cry: ぷんぷん！ It can be about someone else, or about yourself as a joke.
ゆきさん、また おくれましたね。
Yuki, you're late again.
ごめんなさい…。
I'm sorry...
ぷんぷん！
Hmph!
…かわいいですね。
...That's cute.
Close cousins
- むかむかanger you keep inside, and tell a friend about later
- いらいらimpatient and on edge
- ぷいっとturning your face away in a sulk
In manga and anime
A pouting character gets puffed cheeks, a little puff of steam by the head, and ぷんぷん beside it. Fuji's pouting picture on this site is called ぷんぷん too.
Can you use it?
Yes, with friends, family or a partner, when you are only a little annoyed. For real anger, don't: it turns the feeling into a joke.