Ushirogami wo Hikareru (後ろ髪を引かれる – With Painful Reluctance)
Ushirogami wo Hikareru
後ろ髪を引かれる
When you are unable to move on due to regret, it can be described as ushirogami wo hikareru (後ろ髪を引かれる) in Japanese.
未練や心残りがあり、先へ進むことができないことを、「後ろ髪を引かれる」といいます。
Since ushiro (後ろ) means “back/behind,” kami/gami (髪) means “hair,” and hikareru (引かれる) means “pulled (by someone),” the literal meaning of ushirogami wo hikareru is “the hair on the back of one’s head is pulled by someone.”
「後ろ」は “back/behind”、「髪」は “hair”、「引かれる」は “pulled (by someone)” を意味するので、「後ろ髪を引かれる」の文字どおりの意味は “the hair on the back of one’s head is pulled by someone” となります。
This expression was coined as the feeling of regret is similar to the sense of having the hair on the back of one’s head pulled from behind.
未練や心残りがある心境が、後頭部に生えている髪の毛を後ろから引っ張られるような感覚であることから、この表現が作られました。
In the past, many Japanese men wore their hair long (especially on the back of the head) to tie a topknot, which may have led to the creation of this expression.
かつて日本では、髷のために後ろ髪を長くしていた男性も多かったので、このような表現が生まれたのかもしれません。
