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【No. 1079】Sebiro (背広 - Suit)

Dec 1, 2017 14:48
"Suit" is often called just "sūtsu" (スーツ) in Japan, but it sometimes called "sebiro" (背広).

The "se" (背) means "(person's) back" and the "biro/hiro" (広) means "wide," so I thought that the term "sebiro" derived from Japanese words.

However, according to the Internet, the most accepted theory about the etymology of "sebiro" is that "civil" of "civil clothes" changed to "sebiro."

Also, there is another theory that said that it comes from "Savile" of "Savile Row" where many well-established tailors have opened in London.

There are many surprises when I'm studying about etymologies.
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【No. 1078】Kosoku (姑息 - Temporizing/Cowardly)

Nov 30, 2017 10:42
Today I'd like to introduce the Japanese word "kosoku" (姑息), but you need to pay attention when using this word.

Because over 70 percent of Japanese people (around 90 percent of young Japanese people) used this word in a wrong meaning.

The "ko" (姑) means "a while" and the "soku" (息) means "break/rest," so "kosoku" means "temporizing" or "makeshift."

However, these days, "kosoku" is used to mean "cowardly."

It's thought that the reason is because cowards tend to do makeshift acts, or the sound is similar to "koshaku" (小癪), which means "annoying."

Since too many people have misused this word, I think that in the near future, "kosoku" will include two different meanings officially.
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【No. 1077】Oogesa (大げさ - Exaggerated)

Nov 29, 2017 14:31
If you make a grandiose claim or exaggerate something, you may be said "oogesa" (大げさ) in Japanese.

The "oo" (大) means "big" and the "gesa/kesa" (げさ/けさ) means "Buddhist stole," so originally this term was used to mean a big Buddhist term.

On the other hand, there were Japanese terms: "ohokenashi" (おほけなし) and its changed form "ohogesa" (おほげさ), which mean "inordinate" or "bold."

Becaue of the meaning and the sound, "oogesa" has come to have the current meaning.
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【No. 1076】Hecchara (へっちゃら - I Don't Mind)

Nov 28, 2017 22:49
If you want to express that it's easy to do something or you don't mind something, you can use the Japanese term "hecchara" (へっちゃら).

Originally, this term was called "heichara" (平ちゃら), but it has come to become "hecchara" in order to strengthen the impression.

The "hei" (平) comes from "heiki" (平気), which means "without hesitation" or "don't mind," and the "chara" (ちゃら) means "joke" or "bullshit."

It's thought that "hecchara" implies that you can do something while saying a joke without hesitation.
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【No. 1075】He Demonai (屁でもない - Nothing)

Nov 27, 2017 14:55
If you want to express "it's not a problem at all" or "it's so easy," you can say the Japanese term "he demonai" (屁でもない).

The "he" (屁) means "fart" and the "demonai" (でもない) means "inferior to," so the literal meaning of this term is "it's inferior to a fart."

This term comes from the thought that things that are inferior to a fart will never become a problem.

Incidentally, there is a Japanese slang term, "he no kappa" (屁の河童), which also contains "he" (屁 - fart).

The etymology of this slang term is not related to "fart," but this has the same meaning of "he demonai."
http://lang-8.com/kanotown/journals/191665208695223752666684613979550944204
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【No. 1074】Nemimi ni Mizu (寝耳に水 - Bombshell)

Nov 26, 2017 17:26
If you encounter an unexpected event suddenly, you will be very surprised.

The Japanese proverb "nemimi ni mizu" (寝耳に水) means such a situation.

The "ne" (寝) means "sleep," the "mimi" (耳) means "ear," and the "mizu" (水) means "water."

In the past in Japan, rivers were often flooded.

If you hear the flooded water sound while sleeping, you will be very surprised.

Because of this, "nemimi ni mizu" has come to mean that you're surprised by something unexpected.
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【No. 1073】Iki ga Tsumaru (息が詰まる - Choking)

Nov 25, 2017 18:21
Since today was a very important day for me that might determine my life, I was nervous and it was a little hard to breath.

Becoming such a situation is called "iki ga tsumaru" (息が詰まる) in Japanese.

The "iki" (息) means "breath," the "tsumaru" (詰まる) means to "choke," and the combination "iki ga tsumaru" also means to "choke."

I don't think it necessary to explain the etymology of this term.

If you are very nervous or feel very stressed, you will choke sometimes.
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【No. 1072】Melo Melo (めろめろ - Madly in Love)

Nov 24, 2017 17:19
There is a Japanese term: "melo melo" (めろめろ/メロメロ).

Can you guess what this term means?

"Melo melo" means that someone has a loose face or attitude by being madly in love.

For example, you can say "melo melo da" (メロメロだ - I'm melo melo) to your lover or grand children.

The most accepted theory about the etymology of "melo melo" is that it comes from "mela mela" (めらめら), which is an onomatopoeia that represents spreading fire.

Incidentally, there is "melo melo" as a Pokemon's move, and this is translated into English as "Attract."
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【No. 1071】Tsuba wo Tsukeru (唾をつける)

Nov 23, 2017 10:56
There is a Japanese idiom, "tsuba wo tsukeru" (唾をつける).

The "tsuba" (唾) means "spit" and the "tsukeru" (つける) means "to put on," so the literal meaning of the combination is "to put your spit on something."

Originally this idiom was mainly used for food.

Just imagine - you don't want to eat food wet with someone's spit, do you?

Therefore, "tsuba wo tsukeru" means to do something in advance in order to prevent other people from getting what you want.

Incidentally, if you add "mayuni" (眉に - on your eyebrow) and say "mayuni tsuba wo tsukeru" (or "mayutsuba" for short), the meaning will differ substantially from this idiom.

You can check the meaning of "mayutsuba" on the following URL.
http://lang-8.com/kanotown/journals/35103209355274424265303829210995655726
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【No. 1070】Kani no Yokobai (蟹の横這い)

Nov 22, 2017 10:49
Since I ate a crab last night, I'd like to talk about a Japanese proverb related to "crab,"

It's "kani no yokobai" (蟹の横這い).

The "kani" (蟹/カニ) means "crab" and the "yokobai" (横這い) means "sideways movement," so the literal meaning of the combination is "sideways movement of a crab."

Although the sideways movement of a crab looks unnatural for us, it's the most appropriate way of moving for crabs.

Therefore, this proverb says that even if it looks inconvenience for others, the way might appropriate for the person himself/herself.
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【No. 1069】Manma (まんま - Meal)

Nov 21, 2017 15:52
In Japan, "manma" (まんま) is a baby word that means a "meal."

According to the Internet, one of the easiest word to pronounce for babies is "ma-ma," and this fact is common in the world.

Because of this, "mama" has come to mean "mother" in many countries.

On the other hand, since Japanese people thought that babies said "ma-ma" in order to request a meal (and it was sounded like "manma"), "manma" has come to mean a meal in Japan.

Incidentally, since these days it has widespread to call your mother "mama" even in Japan, if you want to say "mother, I'm hungry" in baby language, it will be "mama, manma."
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【No. 1068】Manako (まなこ - Eye)

Nov 20, 2017 15:23
The most common Japanese word that means "eye" is "me" (め/目), but you can also use another word "manako" (まなこ/眼).

The "ma" (ま) of "manako" a changed form of "me" (目 - eye), the "na" (な) means "of," and the "ko" (こ) means "child."

Therefore, the literal meaning of "manako" is a "child of your eye."

This comes from the fact that "manako" was used to mean just a black part of your eye.

Incidentally, the pronunciation of "namako" (ナマコ) is very similar to "manako" (まなこ - eye), but "namako" means "sea cucumber."
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【No. 1067】Nodo (喉 - Throat)

Nov 19, 2017 03:48
I have a sore "nodo" (喉) now.

"Nodo" refers to a back of your mouth, where the part above your esophagus and trachea -- it's a throat.

In the past, this Japanese word is called "nomido" (のみど).

The "nomi" (のみ) means "to drink" and the "do/to" (ど/と) means "door," so the combination "nomido" refers to "door for drinking."

I think that it's not necessary to explain any more why "nodo" has come to mean "throat."

Also, "nodo" can mean "singing voice," "weak point," and "a part that binds a book."
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【No. 1065】Kaze wo Hiku (風邪をひく - Catching a Cold)

Nov 17, 2017 13:39
There are various diseases in the world.

Japanese people usually say "(disease name) ni kakaru" or "(disease name) wo wazurau" when they catch the disease.

Of course you can say "kaze ni kakaru" (風邪にかかる) or "kaze wo wazurau" (風邪を患う) -- where "kaze" means "cold."

However, only in the case of "kaze," we often say "kaze wo hiku" (風邪をひく).

The "hiku" means "to drag," and it seems to be derived from the fact that ancient Chinese people thought that you would catch a cold when dragging bad vibes into your body.

By the way, I'm having a cold now.
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【No. 1064】Yonabe (夜なべ - Nightwork)

Nov 16, 2017 06:02
Now I'm doing my work, which is called "yonabe" (夜なべ).

"Yonabe" means a work that is done in the middle of the night.

The "yo" (夜) means "night," but there are several theories about what the "nabe" (なべ) means.

The most accepted theory says that the "nabe" is written in kanji as"鍋," which means a one pot dish.

According to this theory, the word "yonabe" comes from the fact that people work at night while eating "nabe" (one pot dish).

Also, another theory says that "nabe" is written in kanji as "延べ," which means "extension" -- this implies that your work is extended until night.
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【No. 1063】Kamase Inu (かませ犬 - Underdog)

Nov 15, 2017 12:21
I like dogs, but many terms/idioms that use dog have negative meanings.

The idiom "kamase inu" (かませ犬), that I will introduce today, is one of them.

The "kamase" (かませ) means "to let someone bite," "inu" (犬) means "dog," and the combination means a weak dog that is prepared to be bitten by another dog in dog fighting.

Unfortunately, this weak dog (kamase inu) is just used to give a confidence to the fighting dog.

Because of this background, "kamase inu" is also used to mean a weak person who emphasizes a main character.

Incidentally, the top character of the kamase-inu ranking in anime is Yamcha of Dragon Ball.
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【No. 1062】Kebyou (仮病 - Pretended Illness)

Nov 14, 2017 12:36
In recent years, the number of young people who are absent from school or work due to "kebyou" (仮病) has been increased.

The "ke" (仮) means "temporary" or "fake," the "byou" (病) means "illness," and the combination "kebyou" means "to pretend to be illness."

As the symptoms of kebyou, headache, stomach ache, nausea and fever are often used.

Especially headache and stomach ache seem to be commonly used because it's difficult to confirm the symptom by a third party.

Also, people also use "miuchi no fukou" (身内の不幸 - bereavement) as a reason for playing hooky.

They make a story something like that their families or relatives were dead.

You should never tell such a lie.
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【No. 1061】Nimaijita (二枚舌 - Double Tongue)

Nov 13, 2017 11:33
There are several Japanese expressions that means to tell a lie.

The term "nimaijita" (二枚舌) is one of them.

The "nimai" (二枚) means "two pieces," and the "jita/shita" (舌) means "tongue," so the literal meaning of "nimaijita" is "two tongues."

However, this term is used to mean that someone tells a lie or say contradictory things.

Since people who say lies or contradictions fluently are as if they have two tongues and each one says different things, this term has come to be used.

Incidentally, today I learned English has a similar expression -- "speaking with a forked tongue" means to tell a lie.
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【No. 1060】Ude ga Naru (腕が鳴る - Itching to Do)

Nov 12, 2017 15:03
Have you ever been excited due to a feeling that you want to show someone your skills or power?

If you want to represent such a feeling, you can say the Japanese idiom "ude ga naru" (腕が鳴る).

The "ude" (腕) means "arm," the "naru" means "making a sound," so the literal meaning of "ude ga naru" is "one's arms make a sound."

Unfortunately, I couldn't find the etymology about this idiom.

However, since "ude" can also mean "skill" or "power," probably Japanese people thought that "ude" lets us know to want to be exerted by making a sound.
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【No. 1059】November 11th

Nov 11, 2017 12:02
I think that it's not widely known, but there are some anniversaries every single day of the year.

Among them, November 11th is a special day.

This day has 31 different anniversaries in 2015, and now, it has 44 different anniversaries.

The most popular anniversary of November 11th is probably "Pocky & Pretz Day."

I wrote about this anniversary on November 11th last year.
http://lang-8.com/kanotown/journals/128654817496066258554196170905421467344

Besides, there are "Heteroconger Hassi Day," "Salmon Day," "Mirror Day," "Origami Day," and many other anniversaries, then we celebrate them.

However, I think that it's too much.

To tell you the truth, I haven't known these anniversaries other than "Pocky & Pretz Day" until today.