To my fellow manga geeks:

[timepiececlock]

What the hell is "fu fu fu" or "ku ku ku"?

I've seen it several times in scanlations, particularly Naruto (I only read like 3 manga series, so go figure.)

I don't know what it means in Japanese or romanji, but amidst the English it looks patently ridiculous.

Comments

[sub-divided.livejournal.com]

ha ha ha: Normal exuberant laughter
hih hih hih: Creepy laughter
hu hu hu (or fu fu fu): Somewhat sinister laughter
heh heh heh: Somewhat embarrassed or self-conscious laughter
ho ho ho: Refined feminine laughter
ka ka ka: Sometimes, rustic (old) man's laughter
ku ku ku: Evil chuckle
ke ke ke: Evil cackle

I've heard "ryuk" is also a kind of laughter.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I can see "ryuk" because it sounds a bit like old-school "huyuk-yuk-yuk" laughter you heard in Hanna Barbara cartoons and stuff.

But "ku ku ku"? ::sigh:: That's not an evil chuckle. That's what people say to babies.

Oh, the joys of translation...

[sub-divided.livejournal.com]

It's a bit over-the-top. Orochimaru is a "ku ku ku" character.