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【No. 1575】Yubiori Kazoeru (指折り数える - Waiting Eagerly)

Apr 11, 2019 10:50
Yubiori Kazoeru

Yesterday, I introduced the term yubiori (指折り), which means "to count something" or "one of the best."

If you want to mean the former explicitly, you can say yubiori kazoeru (指折り数える).

Since yubi (指) means "finger," ori (折り) means "to bend something," and kazoeru (数える) means "to count something," the literal meaning of yubiori kazoeru is "to count something by bending fingers."

In addition, this phrase can imply that you are looking forward to one day and waiting while counting the remaining days.

[Example] Kekkonshiki no hi wo yubiori kazoete matsu (結婚式の日を指折り数えて待つ - "I wait eagerly for the wedding day.")
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【No. 1574】Yubiori (指折り - One of the Best)

Apr 10, 2019 22:42
Yubiori

Human beings sometimes bend their fingers one by one when counting something.

To count something by bending fingers is referred to as yubiori (指折り) or yubi wo oru (指を折る) in Japanese.

Literally, yubi (指) means "finger" and ori/oru (折る) means "to bend something" or "to fold something."

However, this term has another meaning -- it is "one of the best," because you can count the top five on your one hand fingers.

[Example] Kare wa nihon de yubiori no pianisuto da (彼は日本で指折りのピアニストだ - "He is one of the best pianists in Japan").
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【No. 1573】On ni Kiseru/On wo Uru (恩に着せる/恩を売る - Making You Feel Grateful)

Apr 9, 2019 13:53
On ni Kiseru/On wo Uru

Yesterday, I introduced the phrase on wo ada de kaesu (恩を仇で返す), which means to bite the hand that feeds you.

There are other idioms that use on (恩 - "favor"), such as on ni kiseru (恩に着せる) or on wo uru (恩を売る).

Since kiseru (着せる) means "to make/have someone wear something" and uru (売る) means "to sell something," the literal meanings of on ni kiseru and on wo uru are "to make someone wear one's favors" and "to sell one's favors," respectively.

Here, kiseru and uru imply that you force something against someone.

That is to say, these idioms mean to act to force someone to feel one's favors.
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【No. 1572】On wo Ada de Kaesu (恩を仇で返す - Biting the Hand that Feeds One)

Apr 8, 2019 10:40
On wo Ada de Kaesu

Have you ever done harm to someone without a feeling of gratitude, even though he/she took care of you?
(I would like you to say "No.")

Such an action is called on wo ada de kaesu (恩を仇で返す) in Japanese.

On (恩) means "favor," ada (仇) means "harm," and kaesu (返す) means "to return," so the literal meaning of this phrase is "to do harm as a return of favors."

For example, you can use it to describe a scene that a child betrays his/her parents who have cherished the child.
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【No. 1571】Ice Cream and Shaved Ice

Apr 7, 2019 15:17
Ice Cream and Shaved Ice

Yesterday, I talked about kaki gōri (かき氷), which means "shaved ice."

Which do you think is "ice cream" or "shaved ice" colder?

Ice cream is around -7 degrees Celsius, whereas shaved ice is 0 degrees Celsius.

However, I think that many people feel that shaved ice is colder than ice cream.

Since milk fat and air bubbles that are contained in ice cream do not transfer heat well, shaved ice can draw heat away from your mouth faster than ice cream.

It is getting warmer lately, so I would like to eat either one.
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【No. 1570】Kakigōri (かき氷 - Shaved Ice)

Apr 6, 2019 13:56
Kakigōri

Have you ever eaten kakigōri (かき氷)?

Kakigōri is a kind of frozen sweets made from finely shaved or crushed ice flavored with syrup, etc., and is one of the traditional Japanese features of summer.
(Of course, many other countries also have similar traditions.)

Gōri/kōri (氷) means "ice," but there are several theories about the etymology of kaki (かき).

One theory says that it comes from the fact that we used kaketa kōri (欠けた氷 - literally means "chipped ice") to make kakigōri.

In English, it is often translated as "shaved ice."
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【No. 1569】Itaku mo Kayuku mo Nai (痛くも痒くもない - Not Caring at All)

Apr 5, 2019 16:56
Itaku mo Kayuku mo Nai

When you do not feel a thing about someone's action against you, you can express it as itaku mo kayuku mo nai (痛くも痒くもない).

Itai (痛い) means "painful," kayui (痒い) means "itchy," and nai (ない) is a negative term, so the literal meaning of itaku mo kayuku mo nai is "it is neither painful nor itchy."

Of course, this phrase can be used for physical pain/itching, but it is often used when there is no mental influence.

[Example] Kare ni waruguchi wo iwareta ga, itaku mo kayuku mo nai (彼に悪口を言われたが、痛くも痒くもない - "He said nasty things about me, but I do not care at all").
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【No. 1567】Tachi Ōjō (立ち往生 - Gridlock)

Apr 3, 2019 11:10
Tachi Ōjō

A traffic accident causing injury or death happened yesterday near the center of Tokyo, and many trains stopped, so many people did tachi ōjō (立ち往生) at platforms.

The original meaning of tachi ōjō is "to die while standing," but now it usually means a state in which someone is incapable of moving.

Tachi (立ち) means "to stand," and ōjō (往生) is a Buddhist term that means "to die" or "to die and born in the legitimate land of Buddha."

That is to say, the literal meaning of tachi ōjō is equivalent to its original meaning.
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【No. 1566】Ne ni Motsu (根に持つ - Holding a Grudge)

Apr 2, 2019 21:50
Ne ni Motsu

To hold a grudge for a long time is referred to as ne ni motsu (根に持つ) in Japanese.

Since ne (根) means "root" and motsu (持つ) means "to have" or "to hold," the literal meaning of ne ni motsu is "to have/hold something with a root."

Here, "root" implies a bottom of one's heart.

In addition, the object that motsu points to is what you were suffered in the past.

That is to say, ne ni motsu implies that you remember what you were suffered in the past with the bottom of your heart.
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【No. 1565】The Kanji Character with the Largest Number of Strokes

Apr 1, 2019 20:06
The Kanji Character with the Largest Number of Strokes

Today I introduced you to the kanji character which has the largest number of strokes among daily-use kanji characters.

It is 鬱 (read as 'utsu'), which needs 29 brushstrokes.

鬱 can mean that plants grow thickly or things are active, but if you use it alone, it will mean "gloomy feeling" or "(clinical) depression."

I think that the action of writing this kanji will make you feel depressed.

Incidentally, the kanji with the second-largest number of strokes is 鑑 (read as 'kan/kagami'), which needs 23 brushstrokes.

鑑 means "example," "model," or "norm."
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【No. 1564】Shisshō (失笑 - Bursting into Laughter)

Mar 31, 2019 22:19
Shisshō

Have you ever burst into laughter because something was so funny?

Such a laugh is referred to as shisshō (失笑) in Japanese.

Shi/shitsu (失) usually means "lose," but here it means "mistake" or "wrong."

In addition, shō (笑) means "laugh," so the literal meaning of shisshō means "a wrong laugh."

However, since shitsu (失) is familiar in the meaning of "lose," many Japanese people believe that shisshō means "a bitter laugh."

According to a survey by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, more than 60% of Japanese people use this word incorrectly.
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【No. 1563】Misoji (三十路 - Thirty Years Old)

Mar 30, 2019 21:59
Misoji

I was misoji (三十路) last year.

Misoji means "thirty years old."

When describing one's age in Japanese, we usually add the word sai (歳 - literally means "age") to the word meaning a number, but there are special expressions for some ages, such as twenty years old and thirty years old.

Twenty years old is called hatachi (二十歳), thirty years old is called misoji (三十路), forty years old called yosoji (四十路), and fifty years old is called gosoji (五十路).

Some people say misoji to mean "thirties," but this usage is wrong.
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【No. 1562】Nagori (なごり - Remnant)

Mar 29, 2019 06:55
Nagori

Today is the last working day at my university.

Now I am feeling nagori (なごり) to this university where I have been working for three years.

Nagori means feelings, odors or atomosphere that is left/remains after things pass by.

It is thought that this term was made by shortening naminokori (波残り). (Note that this word is no longer used.)

Since nami (波) means "(sea) wave" and nokori (残り) means "remnant," "leftover" or "residual."

That is to say, naminokori means various things that remain after waves break on a shore.
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【No. 1561】Dowasure (ど忘れ - Lapse of Memory)

Mar 28, 2019 17:11
Dowasure

I often do dowasure (ど忘れ).

Dowasure means that you suddenly forget something you know well and simply can't come up with it.

Wasure (忘れ) means "to forget," but I think that most Japanese people do not know where do (ど) comes from.

Do is written in kanji as 度, and it means "degree" or "dimension."

This term was borne from the Chinese story 韓非子 -- in this story, a man measured his foot dimensions to buy shoes, but he went to a store without the dimension notes.

【No. 1560】Suima ni Osowareru (睡魔に襲われる - Getting Sleepy)

Mar 27, 2019 22:23
Suima ni Osowareru

I am very sleepy now.

When you become very drowsy or sleepy, it can be described as suima ni osowareru (睡魔に襲われる) in Japanese.

Sui (睡) means "sleep," ma (魔) means "devil," osou (襲う) means "to attak," and wareru (われる) is a passive expression, so the literal meaning of this phrase is "to be attacked by a devil of sleep."

As you can guess, this phrase compares strong sleepiness that is hard to resist to a devil of sleep.
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【No. 1559】Saiketsu (採血 - Blood Sampling)

Mar 26, 2019 23:05
Saiketsu

Today I went to a hospital for a health check.

Among the health check, there was saiketsu (採血) that I do not like.

Since sai (採) means "to collect" and ketsu (血) means "blood," the combination saiketsu literally means "to collect blood."

When collecting my blood, the nurse said, "it is very easy to collect blood from your blood vessels."

The reason was that seven vessels for blood collection could be observed clearly.

The nurse also said, "your arm is best for injection practice for novice nurses," but I thought that it was really disgusting.
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【No. 1557】Nizukuri (荷造り - Packing)

Mar 25, 2019 00:55
Nizukuri

Now I am doing nizukuri (荷造り) for moving out of my apartment.

Since ni (荷) means "package" and zukuri/tsukuri (造り) means "to make," the literal meaning of nizukuri is "to make a package."

Actually, this term means to put various things together in a box/bag or tie them together with a string.

In English, it can be translated as "packing."

It is said that packing should be started two weeks before moving, but I started packing a week before moving.

The move will take place after three days, but packing has not finished at all.
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【No. 1558】Bon to Shōgatsu ga Issho ni Kita-yō (盆と正月が一緒に来たよう - Very Busy)

Mar 25, 2019 16:48
Bon to Shōgatsu ga Issho ni Kita-yō

I am very busy now because of retirement, entering a new job, and moving.

Such a busyness can be described as bon to shōgatsu ga issho ni kita-yō (盆と正月が一緒に来たよう) in Japanese.

Bon (盆) is the Buddhist Festival of ancestral spirits, shōgatsu (正月) means "New Year's holidays," issho (一緒) means "together," and kita-yō (来たよう) means "as if something came," so the literal meaning of this phrase is "as if both Bon and new year came together."

If there were an American version of this, it could be "as if Thanksgiving and Christmas came at the same time."
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【No. 1556】Sudatsu (巣立つ - Leaving a Nest)

Mar 23, 2019 23:56
Sudatsu

In my yesterday's post, I used the Japanese word sudatsu (巣立つ).

Since su (巣) menas "nest" and datsu/tatsu (立つ) means "to stand" or "to fly," the literal meaning of sudatsu is "to fly a nest."

Of course, this word literally can mean that birds' children grow and leave their nests.

However, when using it to people, it means that children leave their parents or graduate from school/university then go into the world.

By using this word, you can emphasize feelings of pathos compare to just saying shakaijin ni naru (社会人になる - literally means "to become a member of society") or dokuritsu suru (独立する - literally means "to become independent").
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【No. 1555】Megashira ga Atsuku Naru (目頭が熱くなる - One's Eyes Fill with Tears)

Mar 22, 2019 23:49
Megashira ga Atsuku Naru

The day before yesterday, a graduation ceremony took place at my university.

When I saw students who would spread their wings, my eyes filled with tears.

When one's eyes fill with tears like my case, it can be expressed as the Japanese phrase megashira ga atsuku naru (目頭が熱くなる).

Me (目) means "eye," gashira/kashira (頭) means "head," and the combination means "inner corner of one's eye."

In addition, atsuku naru (熱くなる) means "to get hot," so the literal meaning of this phrase is "inner corners of one's eyes get hot."

It is thought that it comes from the fact that tears accumulated in your eyes would make you feel warm.