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【No. 1471】Kiki Ippatsu (危機一髪 - Having a Close Shave)

Dec 28, 2018 23:42
Kiki Ippatsu

If you want to describe an extremely dangerous situation, you can use kiki ippatsu (危機一髪) in Japanese.

Ki (危) means "danger," ki (機) means "moment" or "chance," i/ichi (一) means "one," and patsu/hatsu (髪) means "hair."

That is to say, kiki ippatsu implies that a danger moment is approaching to you, and the distance is as long as one hair.

This idiom is often used to describe the past event, for example, kiki ippatsu de tasukatta (危機一髪で助かった - I had a close shave).
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【No. 1470】Kikokushijo (帰国子女 - Returnee Children)

Dec 27, 2018 22:41
Kikokushijo

A child who returned to his/her home country after living another country (at least one year) is called kikokushijo (帰国子女) in Japanese.

Ki (帰) means "to return to somewhere" and koku (国) means "country," so kikoku (帰国) means "to return (back) to one's country."

Shi (子) usually means "child," but here it means "son."

In addition, jo (女) usually means "woman," but here it means "daughter."

In other words, kikokushijo literally means "a son or a daughter who returned back to the home country."
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【No. 1469】Taichō/Guai ga Warui (体調/具合が悪い - Feeling Sick)

Dec 26, 2018 17:11
Taichō/Guai ga Warui

These days, I can say taichō ga warui (体調が悪い) about myself.

Tai (体) means "body" or "physical being," chō (調) means "condition," warui (悪い) means "bad," so taichō ga warui literally means "one's physical condition is bad."

When you want to say that your physical condition is bad, you can also use guai ga warui (具合が悪い) instead of taicho ga warui.

Gu (具/ぐ) means "condition" or "case," and ai (合) means "fit," so the literal meaning of guai ga warui is "one's fit condition is bad."

Taichō ga warui can only be used for people, whereas guai ga warui can be used for both people and things.
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【No. 1468】Kotatsu (こたつ)

Dec 25, 2018 17:59
Kotatsu

I spent the winter without kotatsu (こたつ) over the past two years.

However, this year I bought a kotatsu as a Christmas present for myself.

A kotatsu is a kind of Japanese heating equipment and can warm up a portion of space -- it is made by putting a heat source in a table and covering the table with a comforter or something.

Once you enter the kotatsu, it is difficult to get out of there due to the comfort, so kotatsu is sometimes described as akuma no kagu (悪魔の家具 - "devil furniture") or hito wo dame ni suru kagu (人をダメにする家具 - "a piece of furniture that ruins man").

I will start to use it today.
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【No. 1467】Kamoku (寡黙 - Silent)

Dec 24, 2018 14:52
Kamoku

Yesterday, I introduced you to the Japanese word mukuchi (無口) which means to talk little or a person who has few words.

However, this word is not used in a positive manner when describing someone.

There is another word kamoku (寡黙), which has a similar meaning to mukuchi and is more formal.

Ka (寡) means "less" or "a person who lost his/her partner," and moku (黙) means "to silence."

That is to say, it is thought that kamoku implies that a person who falls silent due to the loss of his/her partner.
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【No. 1466】Mukuchi (無口 - Having Few Words)

Dec 23, 2018 14:54
Mukuchi

Yesterday, I introduced you to the Japanese oshaberi (おしゃべり), which means to talk a lot about something.

On the other hand, if you want to mean to talk little, you can use the word mukuchi (無口).

Since mu (無) means "nothing" and kuchi (口) means "mouth," the literal meaning of mukuchi is "nothing mouth."

Just like oshabery can mean a person who talks a lot, mukuchi can also mean a person who talks little.

However, we often call such a person mukuchi na hito (無口な人), by adding hito (人 - literally meaning "person")
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【No. 1465】Oshaberyi (おしゃべり - Gabbing/Babbler)

Dec 22, 2018 21:25
Oshaberi

I am not a person called oshaberi (おしゃべり ) very much.

Osyaberi is a word made by adding the polite prefix o (お) to shaberi (しゃべり), which is the noun form of the verb shaberu (喋る - literally means "to talk").

That is to say, oshaberi means to talk a lot about something or talk about something lightly.

In addition, oshaberi can be used to mean a person who has a loose tongue or big mouth.

Since this word is not used in a good sense when describing someone, please be careful when you use it.
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【No. 1464】Harawata ga Niekuri Kaeru (はらわたが煮えくり返る - Boiling with Anger)

Dec 21, 2018 22:16
Harawata ga Niekuri Kaeru

Today, I was about to harawata ga niekuri kaeru (はらわたが煮えくり返る).

Harawata ga niekuri kaeru means to feel anger boiling up inside someone.

Harawata (はらわた) means "guts/bowels," nie (煮え) means "to boil," kaeru (返る) means "to turn over," and kuri (くり) is a term to strengthen nie and kaeru.

In other words, harawata ga niekuri kaeru means that someone's guts/bowels boil up and turn over.

Since "guts/bowels/stomach" imply heart or mind in Japan, this phrase has the meaning of "anger."
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【No. 1463】Houfuku Zettou (抱腹絶倒 - Holding One's Stomach and Laughing)

Dec 20, 2018 15:57
Houfuku Zettou

Have you ever had a big laugh enough to roll around a floor?

To describe such a laugh, you can use the four-character idiom houfuku zettou (抱腹絶倒).

Hou (抱) means "to hold something," fuku (腹) means "stomach," ze/zetsu (絶) means "very" or "surely," and tou (倒) means "to turn over," so the literal meaning of this idiom is "someone turns over while holding his/her stomach."

Originally, another kanji 捧 (meaning "to hold something with both hands") was used instead of 抱.

However, since 抱 was more common and was widely used, 捧腹絶倒 changed to 抱腹絶倒.
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【No. 1462】Rekki toshita (れっきとした - Respectable/Authentic)

Dec 19, 2018 23:30
Rekki toshita

When describing that someone is highly respectable or something is authentic with no shadow of doubt, you can say rekki toshita (れっきとした) in Japanese.

Originally, rekki was written as 歴 in kanji, and was read as reki.

The character 歴 has the meaning of "clear" or "obvious".

In addition, toshita (とした) means that something is being so.

Because of this, rekki toshita came to mean that someone/something is obviously respectable/authentic.

For example, you can say kare wa rekki toshita isha da (彼はれっきとした医者だ - "He is a highly respectable doctor."
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【No. 1461】Tassha (達者 - Skillful)

Dec 18, 2018 15:55
Tassha

Previously, I introduced you to the parting greeting phrase otassha de (お達者で), which is used for a person we won't see again for a long time.

Since tassha (達者) means that your body is strong, otasshade (お達者で - "being tassha") means "please be healthy."

However, the original meaning of tassha is different.

Ta/tatsu (達) means "to be enlightened" or "to be familiar with something," and sha (者) means "person."

In other words, the literal meaning of tassha is a person who is good at doing something.
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【No. 1460】Umi no Mokuzu (海の藻屑 - Being Drowned at Sea)

Dec 17, 2018 18:26
Umi no Mokuzu

To die due to a marine accident is called umi no mokuzu ni naru (海の藻屑になる) in Japanese.

Umi (海) means "sea," mo (藻) means "alga," kuzu (屑) means "scrap," and naru (なる) means "to become."

That is to say, the literal meaning of this phrase is "to become scrap algae at sea."

Incidentally, there is another Japanese term mozuku (モズク), which means "nemacystus decipiens."

Since mozuku is a kind of seaweeds and its sound is similar to mokuzu, some people say umi no mozuku to naru by mistake.
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【No. 1459】Miotosu/Minogasu (見落とす/見逃す - Missing)

Dec 16, 2018 22:33
Miotosu/Minogasu

Today, I was checking again the corrections that I received on Lang-8.

At that time, I found that I forgot to say "Thank you" for about 20 corrections.

I replied to them, but I feel sorry for not being able to notice them soon.

Like this case, to miss something is said as miotosu (見落とす) or minogasu (見逃す) in Japanese.

Mi (見) means "look," otosu (落とす) means "drop," and nogasu (逃す) means "miss."

Both of them have the meaning of "to miss something," but miotosu can also mean to pretend not to see something.
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【No. 1458】Ki ga Fureru (気が触れる - Losing One's Mind)

Dec 15, 2018 22:20
Ki ga Furetu

Today, I was about to take an act called ki ga furetu (気が触れる).

Ki ga furetu means to lose one's mind or become crazy.

Ki (気) in ki ga futeru means "mind" or "spirit."

Fureru (触れる) means "to touch" in most cases, but it can also mean "to be crazy."

That is to say, the literal meaning of ki ga fureru is "one's mind becomes crazy."

In present Japan, I think that ki ga hureru is the only idiom that uses the verb fureru as the meaning of "to be crazy."

【No. 1457】Akakara Nabe (赤から鍋 - A Red Hot Pot)

Dec 14, 2018 23:40
Akakara Nabe

Today I ate akakara nabe (赤から鍋).

Akakara nabe is a kind of dish that is popular in Nagoya, Aichi, and is a very hot pot made by blending red miso (味噌 - bean paste) and red pepper.

Aka (赤) means "red," kara (から) means "hot" or "spicy," and nabe means "hot pot," so the literal meaning of akakara nabe is "a red hot pot."

In fact, it is red and hot.

Today was a very cold day, but I was able to warm my blood by eating this meal.
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【No. 1456】Makahushigi (摩訶不思議 - Mysterious)

Dec 13, 2018 22:25
Makahushigi

There are many makahushigi (摩訶不思議) in the world.

"Makahushigi" means that something is very mysterious or wonder.

Since hushigi (不思議) means "wonder" or "mysterious," you can easily guess that maka (摩訶) is a word to enogasuse the hushigi.

In fact, maka comes from the Sanskrit term "maha", which means "great," "very," "amazing."

For example, you can use this term like Maka hushigi na dekigoto ga okita (摩訶不思議な出来事が起きた - A very mysterious event happened).

Incidentally, it is said that makahushigi is originally used to mean "wonderfulness that is beyond human understanding."
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【No. 1455】Uto Uto and Utsura Utsura (「うとうと」「うつらうつら」 - Drowsy)

Dec 12, 2018 21:05
Uto Uto and Utsura Utsura

Yesterday, I introduced you to the term inemuri (居眠り), which means to fall asleep unwillingly when doing something.

To express the state of inemuri, you can use the Japanese onomatopoeia, uto uto (うとうと) or utsura utsura (うつらうつら).

Uto uto describes that you drift into a light sleep.

Utsura utsura describes that you drift in and out of dreamland.

Both of them imply that you are half awake and half asleep, but the former focuses on half sleeping, whereas the latter focuses on half awakening.
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【No. 1454】Inemuri (居眠り - Snooze/Doze)

Dec 11, 2018 15:38
Inemuri

Today, I did inemuri (居眠り) for just a few minutes.

Inemuri means to fall asleep unwillingly when doing something (especially at school or work).

I (居) means "stay" and nemuri (眠り) means "sleep," so the literal meaning of inemuri is "a sleep while staying."

Inemuri is one of the common practices in Japan, and you can see it easily.

It is thought that this comes from the fact that working hours have increased and sleeping hours have decreased in Japan.

In English, it is represented by the word "snooze" or "doze."
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【No. 1453】Tori ni Tarinai (取るに足りない - Marginal)

Dec 10, 2018 23:32
Toru ni Tarinai

I sometimes do work that can be described as toru ni tarinai (取るに足りない).

Toruni tarinai means to describe trivial things, that is not worth to mention its details.

Toru (取る) means "to take" or "to pick up," tari (足り) means "enough" or "worth," and nai (ない) is a negative suffix to the previous term tari.

That is to say, the literal meaning of toru ni tarinai is "It is not worth to pick up."

Incidentally, some people say taranai (足らない) instead of tarinai.
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【No. 1452】Taguimare (類まれ - Extraordinary)

Dec 9, 2018 22:07
Taguimare

Recently, I had an experience that can be described as taguimare (類まれ).

Taguimare mean that something is very rare, or there is almost nothing that is equivalent to it.

Tagui (類) means "similar" or "same," and mare (まれ) means "rare."

That is to say, the literal meaning of taguimare is "there are rarely similar things."

For example, you can say something like Kare wa taguimare na sainō wo motte iru (彼は類まれな才能を持っている - He has an exceptional ability).