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【No. 2279】Ha ga Tatanai (歯が立たない - Unable to Compete With)

Jan 17, 2024 20:12
Ha ga Tatanai

The Japanese idiom ha ga tatanai is used to describe a situation where someone is beyond your abilities and you cannot compete with them.

・Ha (歯) means "tooth."
・Tatsu/tata (立つ/立た) means "to stand."
・Nai (ない) is a negative suffix.

Therefore, the literal meaning of ha ga tatanai is "one's teeth cannot stand."

This idiom also means being unable to bite something because it is too hard.

From the concept of something being too hard to bite and eat, it came to mean a situation where one's abilities are insufficient to overcome someone or something.
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【No. 2278】Te mo Ashi mo Denai (手も足も出ない - Helpless)

Jan 16, 2024 14:30
Te mo Ashi mo Denai

The Japanese idiom te mo ashi mo denai describes a situation where there is no way to handle it or when something is beyond one's ability.

・Te (手) means "hand."
・Ashi (足) means "foot."
・De/deru (出/出る) means "to come out."
・Nai (ない) is a negative suffix.

Therefore, the literal meaning of te mo ashi mo denai is "neither one's hands nor feet come out."

This literal translation represents a state where one finds themselves helpless and unable to move.
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【No. 2277】Me ga Ten ni Naru (目が点になる - Surprised)

Jan 15, 2024 19:58
Me ga Ten ni Naru

The Japanese idiom me ga ten ni naru (目が点になる) describes someone being terribly surprised or astonished.

・Me (目) means "eye."
・Ten (点) means "dot."
・Naru (なる) means "to become."

Therefore, the literal meaning of mega ten ni naru is "one's eyes become dots."

This idiom is believed to have originated from manga around the 1960s and 1970s.

In the manga, characters' eyes sometimes become dots to convey a state of shock or surprise.

This expression remains popular in current manga and anime.
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【No. 2276】Me wo Shiro Kuro Saseru (目を白黒させる - Rolling One's Eyes)

Jan 14, 2024 18:29
Me wo Shiro Kuro Saseru

The Japanese idiom me wo shiro kuro saseru (目を白黒させる) can be used to describe a situation where someone is surprised, panicked, or suffering.

・Me (目) means "eye."
・Shiro (白) means "white."
・Kuro (黒) means "black."
・Saseru (させる) means "to make."

Therefore, the literal meaning of this idiom is "to make one's eyes white and black."

In other words, this idiom describes a situation where, due to extreme surprise or suffering, someone's eyes repeatedly turn white and black.
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【No. 2275】Oni no Inu Ma ni Sentaku (鬼の居ぬ間に洗濯 - When the Cat Is Away, the Mice Will Play)

Jan 13, 2024 21:41
Oni no Inu Ma ni Sentaku

While there are no scary or annoying people around, you can forget about daily hardships and relax.

Such a situation can be described as the Japanese proverb oni no inu ma ni sentaku (鬼の居ぬ間に洗濯).

・Oni (鬼) means "ogre."
・I/iru (居/居る) means "to exist."
・Nu (ぬ) is a negative suffix.
・Ma (間) means "while."
・Sentaku (洗濯) means "washing."

Therefore, the literal meaning of this proverb is "washing while ogres are away."

In this context, oni is used as a metaphor for "scary person," and sentaku implies "cleansing one's life."

In English, there is a similar phrase, "When the cat is away, the mice will play."
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【No. 2274】Uwasa wo Sureba Kage ga Sasu (噂をすれば影がさす - Speak of the Devil and He Shall Appear)

Jan 12, 2024 16:36
Uwasa wo Sureba Kage ga Sasu

When you are talking about someone, that person unexpectedly shows up.

The Japanese proverb uwasa wo sureba kage ga sasu (噂をすれば影がさす) represents such a situation.

・Uwasa (噂) means "rumor."
・Sureba (すれば) means "if you do."
・Kage (影) means "shadow."
・Sasu (さす) means "to cast."

Therefore, the literal meaning of this proverb is "If you rumor about someone, the shadow is cast."

It is a reminder not to gossip or speak ill of others.
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【No. 2273】Umisen Yamasen (海千山千 - Experienced and Cunning)

Jan 11, 2024 17:15
Umisen Yamasen

The four-character idiom umisen yamasen (海千山千) describes someone who has many years of experience, knows everything good and bad in the world, and is cunning.

・Umi (海) means "sea."
・Sen (千) means "thousand."
・Yama (山) means "mountain."

Therefore, the literal meaning of umisen yamasen is "A thousand years in the sea and a thousand years in the mountains."

This idiom originates from an ancient Chinese legend, which says that a snake that has lived a thousand years in the sea and a thousand years in the mountains becomes a dragon.

It is sometimes used as a compliment, but note that it often carries a negative connotation of being sly.
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【No. 2272】Heta no Yokozuki (下手の横好き - Dabster)

Jan 10, 2024 19:52
Heta no Yokozuki

The Japanese phrase heta no yokozuki (下手の横好き) describes someone who is enthusiastic about something even though they are not good at it.

・Heta (下手) means "unskilled" or "poor at something."
・Yoko (横) means "side."
・Suki/zuki (好き) means "like."

Here, yoko can also imply "unreasonable" or "improper."

Generally, it is assumed that if someone is poor at something, they would not like it.

In other words, heta no yokozuki refers to someone who unreasonably like something they are not good at.
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【No. 2271】Heta na Teppō mo Kazu Ucha Ataru (下手な鉄砲も数撃ちゃ当たる - Even a Blind Squirrel Finds a Nut Once in a While)

Jan 9, 2024 17:26
Heta na Teppō mo Kazu Ucha Ataru

The Japanese proverb heta na teppo mo kazu ucha ataru (下手な鉄砲も数撃ちゃ当たる) describes a situation where even someone who is not good at something can occasionally succeed if they keep trying repeatedly.

This proverb can be broken down into the following elements:

・Heta (下手): "unskilled" or "poor at something"
・Teppō (鉄砲): "gun"
・Kazu (数): "number" or "many times"
・Utsu/ucha (撃つ/撃ちゃ): "to shoot"
・Ataru (当たる): "to hit"

The literal meaning of this proverb is, "Even someone poor with a gun, if they shoot many times, they will hit the target."

It implies that if you try something over and over, you may eventually succeed.

However, note that this proverb is sometimes used sarcastically.
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【No. 2270】Kao wo Tateru (顔を立てる - Saving Face)

Jan 8, 2024 16:09
Kao wo Tateru

To act in a way that preserves someone's honor or dignity is described as the Japanese idiom kao wo tateru (顔を立てる).

Kao (顔) means "face," and tateru (立てる) means "to stand up," so the literal meaning of kao wo tateru is "to stand someone's face up."

In this idiom, kao is used as a metaphor for one's honor or dignity.

In other words, kao wo tateru means to stand someone's honor or dignity up so that it does not fall and become damaged.

In English, it can be expressed as "to save face."

【No. 2269】Nanakusa no Sekku (七草の節句 - The Festival of Seven Herbs)

Jan 7, 2024 22:00
Nanakusa no Sekku

Today, January 7, is Nanakusa no Sekku (七草の節句).

Since nana (七) means "seven," kusa (草) means "grass" or "herb," and sekku (節句) means "seasonal festival," the literal meaning of Nanakusa no Sekku is "The Seasonal Festival of Seven Herbs."

Here, nanakusa (七草/七種 - "seven herbs") especially represent the seven types of wild herbs and flowers seen in early spring, known as haru no nanakusa (春の七草 - "seven herbs of spring").

On this day, Japanese people have the custom of eating nanakusa gayu (七草粥 - "seven herb rice porridge"), a porridge containing the seven spring herbs, praying for a year of good health.

Let us pray for a healthy and vibrant year ahead.
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【No. 2268】Kokon Tōzai Gēmu (古今東西ゲーム)

Jan 6, 2024 21:22
Kokon Tōzai Gēmu

Yesterday, I introduced the four-character idiom kokon tōzai (古今東西), which means "all times and places."

Combining this idiom with the word gēmu (ゲーム - "game") leads to the famous Japanese game called kokon tōzai gēmu (古今東西ゲーム).

In this game, the leader says kokon tōzai followed by a theme, and then participants take turns saying a word that fits the theme.

The participants clap their hands twice and say the theme word alternately, and the one who cannot say the theme word in rhythm loses the game.

Common themes of this game include names of countries, train stations, and so on.

This game is also known as yamanotesen gūmu (山手線ゲーム - "Yamanote Line Game") because the names of stations on the Yamanote Line in Tokyo were often used as the theme.
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【No. 2267】Kokon Tōzai (古今東西 - All Ages and Countries)

Jan 5, 2024 20:13
Kokon Tōzai

When describing all times and places, you can use the four-character idiom kokon tōzai (古今東西).

Since ko (古) means "old" or "past," and kon (今) means "now" or "present," kokon (古今) means "from the past to the present."

In addition, tō (東) means "east," and zai (西) means "west." Therefore, tōzai (東西) represents "various places from east to west."

In other words, kokon tōzai can describe "all places from the past to the present."

This idiom is often used as an adverb.
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【No. 2266】Jishin, Kaminari, Kaji, Oyaji (地震、雷、火事、親父): Part 2

Jan 4, 2024 22:08
Jishin, Kaminari, Kaji, Oyaji: Part 2

There are two major theories about why oyaji (親父 - "father") follows jishin (地震 - "earthquake"), kaminari (雷 - "thunder"), and kaji (火事 - "fire"), as representatives of terrifying things.

One is simply that fathers were a synonym for something terrifying.

In fact, in the Edo period, when this expression was coined, fathers were often seen as strict and fearsome.

Another theory says that it originated from the word yamaji (山風), meaning "strong wind."

I think it is also possible that oyaji was added as a joke just for the sake of rhyme.

【No. 2265】Jishin, Kaminari, Kaji, Oyaji (地震、雷、火事、親父): Part 1

Jan 3, 2024 19:33
Jishin, Kaminari, Kaji, Oyaji: Part 1

At the start of the new year, Japan experienced some terrifying events, such as a major earthquake and an airplane fire.

To describe these terrifying things in the world, you can use the traditional Japanese expression jishin, kaminari, kaji, oyaji (地震、雷、火事、親父).

Jishin (地震) means "earthquake," kaminari (雷) means "thunder," kaji (火事) means "fire," and oyaji (親父) means "father." Therefore, the literal meaning of this expression is "earthquake, thunder, fire, and father."

It goes without saying that earthquakes, thunder, and fires are terrifying.

However, you may find it strange to have "father" following these three.

【No. 2263】The Dragon in Mandelbrot

Jan 1, 2024 15:57
The Dragon in Mandelbrot

Happy New Year!

As 2024 is the year of the dragon, I drew a dragon using mathematical formulas.

Have you ever heard of a two-dimensional fractal known as the Mandelbrot set?

The Mandelbrot set is a set of complex numbers that do not diverge under a specific condition, and is known to be a self-similar figure.

There is an extension of the Mandelbrot set into three dimensions, which is known as the Mandelbulb.

I created a dragon-like shape by repeatedly fine-tuning the conditions for mathematical sequences and camera positions of the classic Mandelbulb.

It may be a little forced, but I believe that it somehow resembles a dragon.

Please check the images and video from the following link:

https://kano.ac/2024/

【No. 2262】Senrihin (戦利品 - Spoils of Battle)

Dec 31, 2023 15:13
Senrihin

At the end of this year, I went to a huge crane game specialty store and acquired various senrihin (戦利品).

The characters sen (戦), ri (利), and hin (品) mean "battle," "profit," and "goods," respectively, so the literal meaning of senrihin is "battle profit goods."

Originally, this term referred to items obtained from the enemy as a result of victory in war or battle.

Recently, it has come to mean simply "items obtained through effort" and is used in various situations.

Incidentally, my senrihin are various popular character goods, such as Kirby, Chiikawa, and Opanchu Usagi.
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【No. 2261】Ryū Ryū Shinku (粒粒辛苦 - Toil and Moil)

Dec 30, 2023 23:05
Ryū Ryū Shinku

The four-character idiom ryū ryū shinku (粒粒辛苦) is sometimes used to describe the accumulation of small efforts.

Ryū (粒) means a single grain of rice, shin (辛) means "hardship," and ku (苦) means "suffering." Therefore, the literal meaning of ryū ryū shinku is "each and every grain represents hardship and suffering."

In other words, it implies that each grain is the fruit of the farmers's labor and hardship.

This idiom originated from a poem written by the Chinese poet Li Shen.

In his poem, it is said that no one knows that each grain of rice is made of farmers' hardship and suffering.
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【No. 2260】I no Ichiban (いの一番 - The Very First)

Dec 29, 2023 19:17
I no Ichiban

The Japanese phrase i no ichiban (いの一番) is sometimes used to describe that something is first in time or order, or that one is the first to do something.

I (い) is the first character in the iroha uta (いろは歌 - "Iroha Song"), a traditional Japanese song used for learning kana characters.

In addition, ichiban (一番) means "first," so i no ichiban is an expression that emphasizes being the first.

There is another theory that i no ichiban comes from an architectural term.

During house construction, vertical pillars and horizontal pillars are labeled i, ro, ha (い、ろ、は） and ichi, ni, san (一、二、三), respectively.

The first pillar to be erected is called i no ichi (いのいち), which is said to be the origin of i no ichiban.

【No. 2259】Nōkin (脳筋 - Meathead)

Dec 28, 2023 20:12
Nōkin

I sometimes become a state called nōkin (脳筋) while playing various games.

Nōkin is an Internet slang term that is short for the expression nōmiso made kinniku (脳みそまで筋肉).

Since nōmiso (脳みそ) means "brain," made (まで) means "even," and kinniku (筋肉) means "muscle," the literal meaning of nōkin means "even the brain is muscle."

In other words, nōkin refers to a personality that acts without thinking or a game-playing style that relies on brute force.

When playing games while tired, you will easily become nōkin state.