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The aim of this paper is to find out some features and several kinds of onomatopoeias, mimetic words and the meaning of phonetic symbolism. Onomatopoeic words are created for an occasional use and not found in the dictionary. Each of them is used to describe a unique situation; e.g. in English, tra-la-la, zzzm, etc. Such expressions are widely spread throughout our daily conversations, comic strips and advertisements. They are in an ever-changing state very few of them survive to be established are regular linguistic forms. Onomatopoeic words constitute onomatopoeic expressions proper, which describe the phenomena ranging from audible sounds to manner of actions and mental states. We further classify them into two groups; one has those words which are fully lexicalized (e.g. chatter, sigh and sob), and the other has those words which still retain something of the onomatopoeic tone (e.g. bang, crack and splash) and which can be used in quoted forms such as "Bang!", "Crack!" and "Splash!". The principle of sound symbolism is based on man's imitative instinct which leads ws to use characteristic speech sounds for name-giving. We may imitate things which we perceive through our senses. As for direct imitation by speech sounds what we hear, i.e. noises, sounds. As, however. noises and sounds are often accompanied by movements (as in which, swish, dash, tap, etc), these also come to be denoted by symbols. By extension, even the originator of a sound may be characterized by the use of a symbol (e.g. pom-pom 'kind of machine-gun'). There is direct imitation of sounds only when we render our own vocal sounds or those of others. The sound then stands either for the position the mouth assumes of for the sound produced in the respective position. In bawl, the [b] renders the softened explosive opening of the lips, while in baa 'bleat' the [b] renders the opening of the sheep's mouth. The initial [p] of peep 'cheep' imitates the movement little birds make when opening their beaks for a cry. With regard to expressive symbolism I note that sounds are often emotionally expressive : [1] is suggestive of the subjectively, emotionally small and is therefore frequent with diminutive and pet suffixes. Initial [f], [p], less so [b] often express scorn, contempt, disapproval, disgust: pish, pooh, ph, fie, foh, fiddle-faddle, fingle-fangle. Only certain sounds lend themselves to being used as emotionally expressive symbols. The sounds [k], [g], [d] for instance are not used at all, [t] rarely.