Japanese-speaking Dopers (Maho?)

I’ve recently started watching an odd little anime called Pani Poni Dash. I’m watching the English dubbed version. There’s a character in the show that uses the word “Maho” a lot. A whole lot. Usually it’s tacked on to the end of her sentences, but sometimes she uses it on its own as an exclamation of sorts. This isn’t translated into English in the dubbed version.

This show is bizarre and nonsensical enough, that it wouldn’t surprise me if this is a nonsense word made up by the writers just to be weird. At the same time, though, I’m curious if this is an actual … word? sound? exclamation? used by Japanese speakers. Anyone know?

Verbal Tic, as explained by TVTropes here. Pani Poni Dash is among examples.

Huh. I’d noticed the “nyan” thing that catgirls do in several different animes. That’s in interesting website.

Favorite quote from the page you linked to: “Boomhauer of King Of The Hill has an incredible array of verbal tics which have a tendency to consume his sentences like some horrifying cancerous growth.” :smiley: