I understand that the word シクシク is 擬声語/giseigo/onomatopoeia equivalent to the English "boo-hoo/boo-hoo-hoo."
恐怖でシクシク泣く
: To whimper in fear彼女はボーイフレンドに捨てられた時、あまりの惨めさにシクシクと泣いた。
: She wailed in misery when her boyfriend dumped her.
However, I also see it as a qualifier for pain, but I can't tell what kind of pain it describes. Is it a pain so "gripping" as to make one sob, or is it a "dull" pain (which implies something more to be inconvenienced or annoyed by)?
シクシクと痛みます
: It is a dull pain.胃がシクシク痛む
: have a gripping pain in one's stomach
Answer
シクシク implies continuing, moderate level of crying/pain. I don't know if their etymology is related but 雨がシトシト降る also means that a moderate (not too hard, but not soft either) level of rain continuously falls. Maybe this sound pattern is associated with moderate, continuing things in Japanese.
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