Skip to content

Essay

  • in Essay
  • 2 min read

【No. 1512】Boketsu wo Horu (墓穴を掘る - Digging One's Own Grave)

Feb 7, 2019 22:18
Boketsu wo Horu

I sometimes do an act that is referred to as boketsu wo horu (墓穴を掘る) in Japanese.

Boketsu wo horu is an idiom that means to make a factor that ruins yourself with your own hands.

Bo (墓) means "grave" or "burial," ketsu (穴) means "hole" or "pit," and horu (掘る) means "to dig," so the literal meaning of this idiom is "to dig a burial pit/grave."

It is omitted in the Japanese writing, but this idiom implies that the burial pit/grave is one's own.

In English, it can be translated as "to dig one's own grave" or "to dig oneself into a hole."
  • in Essay
  • 2 min read

【No. 1511】Ippai Ippai (いっぱいいっぱい - Having One's Hands Full)

Feb 6, 2019 18:31
Ippai Ippai

I have been in a state called ippai ippai (いっぱいいっぱい).

Ippai ippai means that there is almost no time to do something or something has reached the limitation.

Ippai (いっぱい) is written as 一杯 in kanji -- i/ichi (一) means "one" and pai/hai (杯) means "cup" or "bowl," so the literal meaning of the combination is "a cup of something" or "a bowl of something."

In addition, the characters 一杯 can mean that a cup/bowl is full of something.

That is to say, ippai ippai implies that such a state of limit.
  • in Essay
  • 2 min read

【No. 1510】Tsutsu Uraura (津津浦浦 - All Over the Country)

Feb 5, 2019 15:49
Tsutsu Uraura

To describe "all over the country" or "throughout the land," you can use the four-character idiom tsutsu uraura (津津浦浦).

Tsu (津) means a dock or a harbor, and ura (浦) means a cove or a coast, so the literal meaning of this idiom is "harbors and coasts."

Japan is an island country and is surrounded by the sea.

Because of this, marine traffic using ships in Japan has been developed for a long time ago, and there are many docks throughout this country.

The idiom tsutsu uraura was borne from this fact.

You can also write it as 津々浦々 by using 々, which means repetition.
  • in Essay
  • 1 min read

【No. 1508】Ehoumaki (恵方巻 - Lucky Direction Roll)

Feb 3, 2019 20:31
Ehoumaki

February 3rd is setsubun (節分).

Setsubun is the day before the beginning of spring (February 4th), and various traditional events are held on this day.

Among them, ehoumaki (恵方巻) is familiar to Japanese people.

E (恵) means "lucky," hou (方) means "direction," and maki (巻) means "roll."

Ehoumaki is a sushi roll which is considered to bring good luck by eating it silently while facing the direction ehou.

I also ate ehoumaki today.

However, in recent years, the massive disposal of unsold ehoumaki has been a problem.
  • in Essay
  • 2 min read

【No. 1507】Yuiitsu Muni (唯一無二 - One and Only)

Feb 2, 2019 23:36
Yuiitsu Muni

If you want to express something that is only one thing in the world, you can use the four-character idiom yuiitsu muni (唯一無二).

Yui (唯) means "only," itsu/ichi (一) means "one," mu (無) means "nothing" or "no," and ni (二) means "two."

Therefore, yuiitsu (唯一) means "only one," muni (無二) means "there are not two," and the combination is "it is only one, there are no same things."

This idiom is often used when describing a very important thing.

You can translate it into English as "one and only."
  • in Essay
  • 2 min read

【No. 1506】Mondō Muyō (問答無用 - No Discussion)

Feb 1, 2019 23:32
Mondō Muyō

To mean that discussion is pointless, you can use the four-character idiom mondō muyō (問答無用).

Mon (問) means "question," dō/tō (答) means "answer," mu (無) means "no" or "nothing," and yō (用) means "errand" or "need."

Therefore, mondō (問答) means "questions and answers," muyō (無用) means "unnecessary," and the combination means "unnecessary discussion."

This idiom is often used to end a wasteful discussion forcibly.

[Example of use]

Ryokō saki wa kanojo ga mondō muyō de kimeta (旅行先は彼女が問答無用で決めた - "My girlfriend decided the trip destination with no discussion").
  • in Essay
  • 2 min read

【No. 1505】Tatetsuku (盾突く - Defying)

Jan 31, 2019 22:34
Tatetsuku

To defy or talk back to a person of higher rank is referred to as tatetsuku (盾突く) in Japanese.

Tate (盾) means "shield" and tsuku (突く) means "to thrust" or "to prod," so the literal meaning of this term is "to thrust a shield."

In other words, this term implies that you resist against enemy's attacks by thrusting a shield into the ground.

Originally, this was said as tate wo tsuku (盾を突く) with the particle wo (を), but these days, I think that most people say tatetsuku for short.
  • in Essay
  • 2 min read

【No. 1504】Fumin Fukyū (不眠不休 - Without Sleep or Rest)

Jan 30, 2019 22:58
Fumin Fukyū

When you do something without sleeping or resting, it is referred to as fumin fukyū (不眠不休) in Japanese.

Fu (不) is a negative prefix, min (眠) means "to sleep," and kyū (休) means "to rest."

Therefore, fumin (不眠) means "no sleep," fukyū (不休) means "no rest," and the combination means "no sleep no rest" or "without sleep or rest."

Basically, this idiom is used to express that someone makes an effort without rest to achieve something.

However, if you do something without sleep or rest, you cannot concentrate on it, so it is not recommended.

[Example of use]

Fumin fukyū de hataraku (不眠不休で働く - I work without sleep or rest).
  • in Essay
  • 1 min read

【No. 1503】Doro no You ni Nemuru (泥のように眠る - Sleeping like a Log)

Jan 29, 2019 22:11
Doro no You ni Nemuru

I will doro no you ni nemuru (泥のように眠る) tonight.

Do ro no you ni nemuru means that you have a deep sleep as much as anyone can't awake you.

Doro (泥) means "mud," no you ni (のように) means "like," and nemuru (眠る) means "to sleep," so the literal meaning of this phrase is "to sleep like mud."

It is thought that this phrase comes from an imaginary marine creature 泥 (dei), which appears in ancient Chinese stories.

Since this creature has no bones, it would become like mud and stop moving when getting out of the sea.
  • in Essay
  • 2 min read

【No. 1502】Asu wa Wagami (明日は我が身 - Tomorrow It Might Be Me)

Jan 28, 2019 18:05
Asu wa Wagami

Have you ever seen someone's misfortune in front of you?

You might think that it is just an event of other people and does not concern you, but a similar misfortune could befall you in the near future.

Asu wa wagami (明日は我が身) is a Japanese phrase that admonishes people for such a possibility.

Asu (明日) means "tomorrow," waga (我が) means "my," and mi (身) means "body."

That is to say, asu wa wagami literally says that it might happen to my body tomorrow.
  • in Essay
  • 2 min read

【No. 1501】Kinou no Kyou (昨日の今日 - A Short Period)

Jan 27, 2019 13:28
Kinou no Kyou

Today, I would like to talk about a little weird Japanese expression, kinou no kyou (昨日の今日).

Since kinou (昨日) means "yesterday" and kyou (今日) means "today," the literal meaning of kinou no kyou is "yesterday and today" or "yesterday's today."

Can you imagine what does it actually mean?

Actually, it says that it has only been a day since something happened yesterday.

That is to say, this expression means a short period or duration.

[Example sentence]

Kinou no kyou de kare wa iken ga kawatta (昨日の今日で彼は意見が変わった - He changed his opinion in a short period.)
  • in Essay
  • 2 min read

【No. 1500】Keizoku wa Chikara Nari (継続は力なり - Practice Makers Perfect)

Jan 26, 2019 14:52
Keizoku wa Chikara Nari

This is my 1500th post.

Today I would like to introduce the phrase keizoku wa chikara nari (継続は力なり), which is the motto of many people.

Keizoku (継続) means "continuity," chikara (力) means "power," and nari (なり) means "to be," so the literal meaning of this phrase is "continuity is power."

As the literal meaning says, this phrase represents the importance of continuing for anything.

It can be translated in English as "persistence pays off," "practice makes perfect," or "endurance makes you stronger."
  • in Essay
  • 2 min read

【No. 1499】Mimi ga Itai (耳が痛い - Being Ashamed to Hear)

Jan 25, 2019 18:06
Mimi ga Itai

When someone's remarks or criticisms hit your sensitive or weak point, and it is harsh for you to hear that, you can use the Japanese idiom mimi ga itai (耳が痛い) to describe the situation.

Mimi (耳) means "ear" and itai (痛い) means "to hurt" or "to feel painful," so the literal meaning of mimi ga itai is "to feel pain on one's ear."

This idiom implies that you feel pain on your ear when you hear what you don't want to hear.

Of course, you can also use this expression when your ear physically hurts.
  • in Essay
  • 2 min read

【No. 1498】Hana no Shita wo Nobasu (鼻の下を伸ばす - Spoony)

Jan 24, 2019 21:01
Hana no Shita wo Nobasu

When you womanize or have a loose face due to an attractive woman, it can be described as an idiom, hana no shita wo nobasu (鼻の下を伸ばす).

Hana (鼻) means "nose," shita (下) means "under," and nobasu (伸ばす) means "to stretch/extend," so the literal meaning of this idiom is "to stretch/extend the area under one's nose."

In fact, when a man is attracted by a woman, his face would be loosened, and the area under his nose would seem to be stretched.

Because of this, hana no shita wo nobasu came to have its current meaning.
  • in Essay
  • 2 min read

【No. 1497】Hana wo Oru (鼻を折る - Cropping Someone's Feathers)

Jan 23, 2019 17:52
Hana wo Oru

Continuing from yesterday's post, I would like to talk about an idiom related to nose, hana wo oru (鼻を折る).

Hana (鼻) means "nose" and oru (折る) means "to break," so the literal meaning of hana wo oru is "to break one's nose."

Of course, you can use this phrase to mean to break someone's nose physically.

However, it is often used to mean to subdue someone's pride.

People who take pride in something is described as hana ga takai (鼻が高い - literally "one's nose is high").

That is to say, hana wo oru implies that you break someone's high nose.
  • in Essay
  • 2 min read

【No. 1496】Hana ga Magaru (鼻が曲がる - Bad Smelling)

Jan 22, 2019 17:38
Hana ga Magaru (鼻が曲がる)

These days, I have written about Japanese idioms that use "nose."

Today, I would like to talk about hana ga magaru (鼻が曲がる).

Since hana (鼻) means "nose" and magaru (曲がる) means "to be bent," the literal meaning of this idiom is "one's nose is bent."

Actually, hana ga magaru can express that there is a terrible odor.

This comes from the fact when someone notices a bad odor, his/her nose would get distorted.

[Example sentence]
Kono yasai wa hana ga magaru youna nioi da (この野菜は鼻が曲がるような臭いだ - This vegetable has an awful smell).
  • in Essay
  • 2 min read

【No. 1495】Hana ni Tsuku (鼻につく - Getting Annoyed)

Jan 21, 2019 18:47
Hana ni Tsuku

When feeling annoyed with someone's words or behavior, you can express it by using the Japanese idiom hana ni tsuku (鼻につく).

Since hana (鼻) means "nose" and tsuku (つく) means "to be attached," the literal meaning of hana ni tsuku is "something is attached to one's nose."

Here, what is attached to one's nose implies "smell."

If a peculiar smell is attached to your nose, you will be annoyed because the smell will stay for a while.

Because of this, hana ni tsuku came to have the above meaning.
  • in Essay
  • 2 min read

【No. 1494】Hana de Warau (鼻で笑う - Snorting with Laughter)

Jan 20, 2019 21:08
Hana de Warau

It is not a good deed, but have you ever sneer or mock at someone?

You can express it by using the Japanese idiom hana de warau (鼻で笑う).

Hana (鼻) means "nose" and warau (笑う) means "to laugh," so the literal meaning of hana de warau is "to laugh using one's nose."

When people sneer/mock at someone or express a scornful feeling, they give a snort.

The idiom hana de warau was derived from this fact.

It can be translated into English as "to snort with laughter" or "to laugh through one's nose."
  • in Essay
  • 2 min read

【No. 1493】Hiza ga Warau (膝が笑う - One's Knees Shake)

Jan 19, 2019 21:06
Hiza ga Warau

When exercising suddenly or imposing a load on your feet, your knees could wobble/shake regardless of your own will.

To describe such a situation, you can use the Japanese idiom hiza ga warau (膝が笑う).

Hiza (膝) means "knee" and warau (笑う) means "to laugh," so the literal meaning of hiza ga warau is "one's knees laugh."

As you might have guessed, this idiom describes the shake of knees by using the verb "laugh."

Incidentally, there are mainly three kinds of onomatopoeia to describe the shake of knees -- kaku kaku (カクカク), gaku gaku (ガクガク), and puru puru (プルプル).
  • in Essay
  • 2 min read

【No. 1492】Ana ga Attara Hairitai (穴があったら入りたい - I Want to Crawl under a Rock)

Jan 18, 2019 18:28
Ana ga Attara Hairitai

Today, I would like to introduce you to an idiom that expresses one's feeling, so please guess what it means.

The idiom is ana ga attara hairitai (穴があったら入りたい).

Since ana (穴) means "hole," attara (あったら) means "if something is there," hairitai (入りたい) means "I want to get into somewhere," the literal meaning of this idiom is "if there is a hole, I want to get in there."

The actual meaning is that you are so embarrassing that you want to hide yourself by getting into a hole.