4 ms·

There is no inherent association with shape and substance. Leaves/flowers can be pointy like the kiki shape and fall softly and limply, whereas rocks are ubiqui

• Tade0 5y ago
  Perhaps it's the sound they make when they're eaten? Bouba sounds like something that doesn't require a lot of chewing.
  • arexxbifs 5y ago
    Heston Blumenthal once likened nachos to Kiki and sourcream to Bouba when picking condiments for chili.
• starfallg 5y ago
  The association is with how the sounds are vocalised and the shapes we make with our mouths.
• andrewflnr 5y ago
  Leaves and flowers are still mostly curvy. I can't think of anything soft that has straight lines meeting at sharp angles. Rigidity is physically necessary for maintaining that shape long term. On the other side, you rarely see rocks with extended round parts meeting at sharp, concave angles. A lot if not most things that look like that are soft. It's not a perfect correlation, but it does seem like a real one to me.
• wyager 5y ago
  99.9% of concave rocks are pointy, not smooth. Almost no rocks look like bouba. Very few leaves look like Kiki. Most are rounded. Leaves also aren’t the kind of physical objects you would typically interact with physically as a baby learning about kinematics.