The present study identifi es the methods used in translating onomatopoeic and mimetic words in Japanese literature into Spanish and English, specifically from the novel Sputnik no koibito by Haruki Murakami. Nearly 300 cases are extracted and nine translation methods – using adverbs, adjectives, verbs, nouns, idioms, onomatopoeia in the target language, explicative paraphrase, combinations of words and omission – are identified. Examples are given of each method analysed, and its effectiveness in transmitting the meaning of the original expressions is considered.