bouba/kiki effect

US/ˌbubə ˈkiki ɪˌfɛkt//ˌbubə ˈkiki əˌfɛkt/

noun

A non-arbitrary mapping between speech sounds and the visual shape of objects.

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Meanings

nounthe bouba/kiki effect

alternative bouba–kiki effect · alternative kiki/bouba effect · alternative kiki–bouba effect

  1. A non-arbitrary mapping between speech sounds and the visual shape of objects.

Origin

Bouba and kiki were the pseudowords used in a 2001 experiment on this topic, carried out by Vilayanur S. Ramachandran and Edward Hubbard. See picture.

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Cite this entry
APA

bouba/kiki effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bouba%2Fkiki%20effect

MLA

“bouba/kiki effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bouba%2Fkiki%20effect. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bouba/kiki effect,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bouba%2Fkiki%20effect.

Source: bouba/kiki effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.