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【No. 1391】Tōtō toto Tottōto?

Oct 9, 2018 13:31
Tōtō toto Tottōto?

Yesterday, I introduced you to a phrase that uses a lot of ka (か).

After that, when I was browsing the Internet, I found another interesting phrase using the dialect in Hakata -- which was introduced by Japanese comedians.

It is "Tōtō Toto tottōto?" (とうとう toto とっとーと？).

Tōtō is a common Japanese term meaning "finally" or "eventually," Toto means a kind of lottery, to (と/獲) means "to get/obtain," and tōto (とーと) is a dialect that means "Did you do ~?"

That is to say, "Tōtō Toto tottōto?" means "Did you finally get/win the Toto?"
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【No. 1390】Kakā Kā KāKa?

Oct 8, 2018 18:20
Kakā Kā KāKa?

When reading a book, I found an interesting phrase that uses the dialect in Toyama.

It is "Kakā kā kāka?" (かかーかーかーか？).

In Toyama, people sometimes call their mothers kaka (かか), and say ka (か) to describe "this."

In addition, in Japanese, ka (蚊) means "mosquito," and we say '～ka?' (～か？) when asking something.

That is to say, "kakā kā kā-kā?" means that "Mother, is this a mosquito?"

However, I think that if someone says such a phrase suddenly, even people in Toyama will be a bit confused.
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【No. 1389】Furachi (不埒 - Lawless)

Oct 7, 2018 19:40
Furachi

Yesterday, I introduced you to the Japanese phrase rachi ga akanai (埒があかない - going nowhere).

There is another Japanese term that uses rachi (埒 - literally "enclosures/fences") -- it is furachi (不埒).

Since fu (不) is a negative prefix, furachi is a word that negates enclosures or fences.

Here, enclosures or fences cam imply "boundary" or "regulation," hence furachi means lawless, rude, or unreasonable things.

In my opinion, furachi often includes sexual meaning these days.

Also, furachi can mean rachi ga akanai, but I rarely see its usage.
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【No. 1388】Rachi ga Akanai (埒があかない - Going Nowhere)

Oct 6, 2018 14:48
Rachi ga Akanai

These days, my works are increasing, and there is no end in sight.

Things do not progress or are not settled like this case can be described as rachi ga akanai (埒があかない) in Japanese.

Rachi (埒) means enclosures or fences that are used around a riding ground, and akanai (あかない) means that something does not open.

In a horse racing, the competition does not start until the fences open.

Because of this, it is thought that rachi ga akanai has come to have its current meaning.
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【No. 1386】Tama no Koshi ni Noru (玉の輿に乗る - Cinderella Story)

Oct 4, 2018 16:54
Tama no Koshi ni Noru

When a woman marries a rich or high-ranked man, and she herself comes to have such a status, we describe it as the phrase tama no koshi ni noru (玉の輿に乗る).

Tama (玉) means something beautiful or jewelry, and koshi (輿) means a vehicle carried by several people that high-ranked people ride.

That is to say, tama no koshi means a noble and beautiful vehicle for high-ranked people.

If a low-ranked woman married a high-ranked man, she would ride a tama no koshi.

Because of this, we have come to say tama no koshi ni noru (玉の輿に乗る - literally "to ride a tama no koshi") to describe such a woman.
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【No. 1385】Soppo wo Muku (そっぽを向く - Looking Away)

Oct 3, 2018 22:21
Soppo wo Muku

To describe that someone looks away, refuses to see something, or becomes uncooperative, you can use the Japanese phrase soppo wo muku (そっぽを向く).

Muku (向く) is a common Japanese term that means "to look toward," but soppo (そっぽ) is basically used only in this phrase.

Soppo is written as 外方 in kanji, and as these kanji characters imply, it means "another direction" or "outside direction."

That is to say, the literal meaning of soppo wo muku is "to look toward another/outside direction."
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【No. 1384】Kuwasemono (食わせもの)

Oct 2, 2018 21:47
Kuwasemono

Two days ago, I introduced the term kuwasu (食わす) in my post.

In addition, I explained that the literal meaning of kuwasu is "to feed someone" or "to have someone eat," but it can also mean "to deceive."

There is a term that uses the kuwasu meaning "to deceive" -- it is kuwasemono (食わせもの).

Kuwasemono means an insidious person who cannot be judged by its appearance, or something fake that has only a good look.

If you want to use it as the former meaning, write 食わせ者 by using 者 (mono - "person").

If you want to use it as the latter meaning, write 食わせ物 by using 物 (mono - "thing").
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【No. 1383】The Meaning of 'Ippai'

Oct 1, 2018 12:39
The Meaning of 'Ippai'

Yesterday, I introduced you to the Japanese phrase ippai kuwasu (一杯食わす), which means to deceive someone thoroughly.

In that post, I explained that ippai (一杯) means "a cup of something" or "a bowl of something."

In fact, since i/ichi (一) means "one" and hai/pai (杯) means "cup" or "bowl," the literal meaning of ippai is as described above.

However, when you use ippai as an adverb or an adjective, its meaning becomes "full" or "many."

In this case, the characters 一杯 implies that a cup/bowl is full of something.
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【No. 1382】Ippai Kuwasu (一杯食わす - Pulling a Trick)

Sep 30, 2018 19:49
Ippai Kuwasu

We sometimes use the phrase ippai kuwasu to mean to deceive someone well.

Ipppai (一杯) means "a cup of something" or "a bowl of something," and kuwasu (食わす) means "to feed someone" or "to have someone eat."

That is to say, the literal meaning of ippai kuwasu is "to feed someone to a bowl of something" or "to have someone eat a bowl of something."

According to the Internet, kuwasu can mean damasu (騙す - "deceive"), but I could not find the detailed etymology.

Some people think that it comes from an old Japanese tale that a raccoon dog had a person eat a bowl of fake rice.
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【No. 1381】Ne wo Ageru (音を上げる - Whining)

Sep 29, 2018 14:06
Ne wo Ageru

I am about to do an action called ne wo ageru (音を上げる) in Japanese.

Ne wo ageru is a phrase that means that someone whines, screams out, or gives up because it is difficult for him/her to endure suffering.

Since ne (音) means "sound," "voice," or "cry," and ageru (上げる) means "to generate," the literal meaning of ne wo ageru is "to generate a cry."

【Example sentence】
Shigoto ga tsurakute ne wo ageru (仕事が辛くて音を上げる - "I whine about my work because it is too hard.")
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【No. 1380】Garakuta (ガラクタ - Junk)

Sep 28, 2018 21:48
Garakuta

There are several gatrakuta (ガラクタ) in my room.

Garakuta means something worthless, junk, or useless.

Gara (ガラ) comes from the onomatopoeia garagara (ガラガラ), which means that things touch or bump into each other, and there are two theories about kuta (クタ) -- one is that it is short for akuta (芥), which means "garbage" or "dust," or it comes from kuchi (朽ち), which means that something decays.

In the Edo period, garakuta was used to mean boring people or rascals in addition to its current meaning.
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【No. 1379】Shinjū (心中 - Love Suicide)

Sep 27, 2018 13:13
Shinjū

I introduced you to the Japanese word shinchū (心中 - "feeling") in my yesterday's post.

Actually, the kanji 心中 can also be read as shinjū, and its meaning is very different from the meaning of shinchū.

Shinjū originally meant that a man and a woman who love each other commit suicide at the same time by mutual agreement.

These days shinjū can also mean that several people commit suicide at the same time.

It is said that shinjū comes from shinjūdate (心中立), which means to be loyal to someone.

This implies that the ultimate loyal act between a man and a woman is a love suicide.
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【No. 1378】Shinshū Osasshi Shimasu (心中お察しします - You Have My Sympathies)

Sep 26, 2018 15:04
Shinshū Osasshi Shimasu

When unhappy or sad events happen to someone, we sometimes say shinchū osasshi shimasu (心中お察しします) out of sympathy.

Shin (心) means "heart," chū (中) means "inside," o (お) is a polite prefix, and sassuru (察する) means "to guess something," "to infer something," or "to get a message."

That is to say, this phrase means that "I can infer and understand inside your heart (your feelings)."

You can also say okimochi osasshi itashimasu (お気持ちお察しいたします) by using okimochi (お気持ち - literally "feeling") instead of shinchū.
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【No. 1377】Sound Imitation Words for Describing Walking Part 2

Sep 25, 2018 17:23
Sound Imitation Words for Describing Walking Part 2

Yesterday, I introduced you to the three sound imitation words that describe walking.

Today I would like to introduce fura fura (ふらふら) and bura bura (ぶらぶら).

Fura fura describes that something is shaking unsteadily or someone walks around without awareness or purpose.

This phrase can also be used to describe that your physical condition is bad.

Bura bura describes that something is shaking or someone walks around slowly.

This phrase can also be used to describe that someone lives every day without doing what he/she should have to do.
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【No. 1376】Onomatopoeias for Expressing Walking Part 1

Sep 24, 2018 20:45
Onomatopoeias for Expressing Walking Part 1

There are many onomatopoeias in Japanese that are used to express walking.

Today I would like to introduce teku teku (てくてく), suta suta (すたすた), and toko toko (とことこ) from among them.

All of these onomatopoeias mean that someone walks at the same pace without looking to the right or left.

Teku teku is often used to express that someone walks a long distance.

Suta suta is often used to express that someone walks at a brisk pace.

Toko toko is often used to express that a child or woman walks with small strides.
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【No. 1375】Tawawa (たわわ - Growing Richly)

Sep 23, 2018 12:01
Tawawa

I think that there is less opportunity to use it, but I like the term tawawa (たわわ).

Tawawa is an onomatopoeia that means that fruits or cereals grow richly.

This term comes from the verb tawamu (たわむ), which means that trees or sticks bow or bend.

Since branches of trees bow when a lot of crops grow, tawawa has come to have the meaning of "rich."

In most cases, tawawa is used by combining with the verb minoru (実る - literally "grow"), such as ___ ga tawawa ni minoru (～がたわわに実る - ___ grows richly).
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【No. 1374】Tsukanukoto (つかぬこと - By the Way)

Sep 22, 2018 13:50
Tsukanukoto

When asking someone for something, especially when it has nothing to do with the topic so far, we say tsukanukoto wo ukagai masuga (つかぬことを伺いますが) or tsukanukoto wo otazune shimasuga (つかぬことをお尋ねしますが).

Ukagau (伺う) is a humble form of kiku (聞く - "ask/hear"), tazuneru (尋ねる) is a polite form of kiku, and both of which are used in daily conversation.

On the other hand, tsukanukoto (つかぬこと) is usually used only in the above phrases.

Tsuku (つく) means "to attach," nu (ぬ) is a negative suffix, and koto (こと) means "thing."

That is to say, tsukanukoto means that the thing doesn't attach, and it implies that the topic/question doesn't related to the previous one.
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【No. 1373】Muteppou (無鉄砲 - Reckless)

Sep 21, 2018 20:43
Muteppou

I am not, but some people are called muteppou (無鉄砲) in Japanese.

Muteppou means that someone acts recklessly without considering the consequences.

Mu (無) means "nothing" and teppou (鉄砲) means "gun."

Therefore, some people probably think that the etymology of muteppou is that someone attacks an enemy's camp without having guns.

However, it is said that muteppou comes from mutehou (無手法).

The literal meaning of mutepou is "not having anything in one's hands" or "there is no means," and it has come to have the current meaning.
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【No. 1372】Te wo Kiru (手を切る - Washing One's Hands of)

Sep 20, 2018 14:55
Te wo Kiru

There is a Japanese expression, te wo kiru (手を切る).

Since te (手) means "hand" and kiru (切る) means "to cut" or "to cut off," the literal meaning of te wo kiru is "to cut one's hand."

Here, te is used as a word meaning a relationship with someone.

Therefore, te wo kiru means to cut off a relationship with someone.

In particular, this expression is often used to cut off a bad, inappropriate, or sexual relationship.

In English, you can probably say "to wash one's hands of ___" to mean te wo kiru.
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【No. 1371】Shira wo Kiru (しらを切る - Playing Innocent)

Sep 19, 2018 19:49
Shira wo Kiru

Have you ever pretended you don't know something, even though you know it?

Such an action is referred to as shira wo kiru (しらを切る) in Japanese.

There are two theories about the etymology of shira (しら); one is that it is short for shiranu (知らぬ - literally "don't know"), and the other is that it comes from shira (白 - literally "white"), which means "pure" or "serious."

In addition, kiru (切る) usually means "to cut," but here it means "to take a noticeable action or attitude."