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【No. 0677】Nishi Muku Samurai

Oct 25, 2016 00:24
There are two types of month; that has the 31st day, or doesn't have the day.

Today, I will introduce the Japanese phrase "nishi muku samurai," which is used for remembering months that don't have the 31st day (that is, February, April, June, September and November).

The literal meaning of "nishi muku samurai" is "a samurai who are facing the west," and it can be divided into "ni", "shi", "mu", "ku", and "samurai".

Here, "ni" means "two" (February), "shi" means "four" (April), "mu" means "six" (June), and "ku" means "nine" (September) in Japanese.

Furthermore, "samurai" implies "eleven" (November), but the reason is a little complicated.

Eleven is written as "十一" in kanji, and when you arrange it vertically, it becomes "士".

"士" (shi) means "武士" (bushi), and "武士" is equivalent to "侍" (samurai), hence "侍" can express "eleven".
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【No. 0676】Mizu Kusai (Secretive)

Oct 24, 2016 12:59
Today, I will talk about the Japanese phrase "mizu kusai."

"Mizu kusai" literally means "it smells water," and it expresses that someone is polite, formal, and secretive.

Originally, the phrase "mizu kusai" is used for alcohol or dishes that contains a lot of water, as the meaning of "it has a little taste" or "it's unsavory."

This has come to be used for people, and it has come to mean "you have little affection."

Meanwhile, if you say "mizu irazu," the literal meaning of which is "there is no room to add water," you can express "close relationships" or "family gatherings."
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【No. 0675】A University Festival

Oct 23, 2016 15:44
From yesterday to today, a school festival was held in our university.

There were a huge variety of booths, and it was exciting.

Our laboratory exhibited student's study posters, but it was not thriving very much.

On the other hand, our neighbor laboratory exhibited various games made by students and visitors could get some candies if they cleared some stages of these games.

This room was very popular among children and students, and it looked very prosperous.

Since we realized that we needed interesting ingenuities in order to collect more people, we would like to improve toward the next festival.
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【No. 0674】Gyofu no Ri (Fisherman's Benefits)

Oct 22, 2016 14:15
Today, I will talk about the proverb "gyofu no ri."

"Gyofu" means "fisherman", "ri" means "benefits", and "gyofu no ri" is used as an example of that a third party grabs benefits without pain when two parties conflict with each other.

This proverb is derived from a Chonese story called "Sengoku strategies."

The story is something like the following:

A snipe tried to eat the inside of clam, but its beak was sandwiched.

The snipe said "you'll die in dry if you don't open the shell and return to the sea," but the clam said "you'll die in starvation if you don't pull out your beak."

Both of them stood firm.

Then a fisherman came here, and he caught both the snipe and calm.
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【No. 0673】Dango (Dumpling)

Oct 21, 2016 20:25
Today, I will talk about the traditional Japanese food "dango".

Dango is a kind of dumpling made from flour of cereal or rice, which is added to water and steamed.

There are various kind of dango; seasoned with bean paste of sugar and soy sauce, soybean flour, or artemisia.

"Hanami dango" (dango for cherry-blossom viewing) is often eaten during cherry blossom viewing party, and is usually composed of three color dango that is on a skewer.

There are some theories of the reason of three color dango, but the most widely accepted one is that the red (pink) dango means cherry blossom, the white dango means spring haze, the green dango means verdure, that is, the hanami dango expresses spring.

By the way, there is a Japanese proverb "花より団子" (dango is better than blossoms), which means that people prefer to beneficial things than beautiful things.
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【No. 0671】Oshiya (Pusher)

Oct 19, 2016 08:38
Today, I will talk about the interesting Japanese occupation "Oshiya".

Oshiya means people who push passengers and luggage that are protruded from train doors during rush hours.

This occupation was first introduced at Shinjuku station in 1955.

Oshiya are arranged in front of each train doors; roles of them are to induce passengers to relatively unoccupied areas, and to notify the conductor of whether or not doors can be closed, in addition to pushing.

Also, if passengers try to get on a train by head and shoulders, oshiya will pull and get them back to the platform.

At such a case, oshiya (pusher) becomes hagashiya (puller).
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【No. 0670】Mago no Te (Back-Scratcher)

Oct 18, 2016 00:28
"Mago no te" literally means a grandchild's hand, and is a rod-shaped tool that is used for scratching one's back.

Since itches on back have been a common stress for people throughout the world, similar tools have used all over the world.

Therefore, it's not known when and who invented it.

In Japan, mago no te is normally made of wood or bamboo; the tip is bent and it looks like a cupped hand.

Actually, I thought that since it looked like a grandchild's hand, it was called mago no te, but I was wrong.

The etymology comes from a mythical fairy of China, whose name is Mako.

Mako had a very long nails, and it was thought that it would feel good if she scratched itchy spots.

This "Mako no te" (Mako's hand) was introduced to Japan, and the name became "mago no te" (grandchild's hand).
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【No. 0669】Readings of "一日"

Oct 17, 2016 00:05
Today, I will talk about the readings of the Japanese word "一日".

"一" means "one", "日" means "day", but "一日" has two meanings: "one day (24 hours)" and "the first day of a month."

When you want to mean "one day," you have to read "一日" as "ichi-nichi".

On the other hand, if you want to mean "the first day of a month," you have to read "一日" as "tsuitachi".

The reason of the irregular readings is to make it easier to distinguish between these two meanings.

Also, the etymology of the reading "tsuitachi" comes from "月立ち(tukitachi)", which implies the beginning of a month.
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【No. 0668】The Official Language of Japan

Oct 16, 2016 10:11
Japanese language is commonly used in Japan.

However, the official languages of Japan is not defined explicitly under Japanese laws.

Of course, we learn Japanese language in school education, and official documents in Japan are written in Japanese, so it's practically a official language.

On the other hand, Angaur States of Republic of Palau defined Palauan, English, and Japanese language as its official languages.

The reason why that contains Japanese language is that Palau was a mandated territory of Japan.

Although only this region in the world defined Japanese language as the official language, there seems to be no people who can speak Japanese.
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【No. 0666】Nuka Yorokobi (Short-lived Joy)

Oct 14, 2016 00:04
Today, I will talk about the Japanese phrase "nuka yorokobi."

"Nuka" means pericarp and seed coat that are produced after polishing grains (bran), "yorokobi" means a joy, and "nuka yorokobi" expresses a short-lived joy.

Originally, "nuka" also expressed "small" or "fine" because of the look.

From this fact, it came to mean something like short-lived, and we came to refer to "a short-lived joy" as "nuka yorokobi."

For example, imagine a situation that you won the big lottery and went to a bank with joy, but one digit was actually different.

This is nuka yorokobi.

By the way, there is no relationship with today's topic, but this entry is the 666th post.
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【No. 0665】Atama Kakushite Shiri Kakusazu

Oct 13, 2016 01:16
Today, I will talk about the Japanese proverb "Atama kakushite shiri kakusazu," the literal meaning of which is "One hides the head, but doesn't hide the ass."

This proverb expresses that although someone hides some parts (head) of his/her disadvantages or crimes, other parts (ass) aren't hidden.

Basically, it's used when you ridicule people who believe that all things will be invisible by hiding only the part.

Also, the etymology of the proverb comes from a behavior of pheasants.

When pheasants are chased by people or other animals, they will hide by diving their heads into the grass, but their tails can be seen clearly.
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【No. 0664】Yubikiri Genman (Pinky Promise)

Oct 12, 2016 00:01
Japanese children say "yubikiri genman uso tsuitara hari senbon nomasu" while crossing their little fingers when they make a promise.

In the case of adults, the phrase becomes just "yubikiri" or "yubikiri genman."

At one time, Japanese prostitutes cut off their fingers and present them for particular customers to prove their loves.

(It's said that there were many imitation fingers.)

Cutting off fingers (which is called "yubikiri" in Japan) became widespread and the meaning changed to "to keep a promise."

Also, "genman" means "ten thousands fists," and "hari senbon nomasu" means "to make someone drink a thousand needles."

Japanese children say this phrase as they are singing, but the actual meaning is horrible: "If you tell a lie, I will cut off your little finger, fist you 10,000 times, and make you drink 1,000 needles."
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【No. 0663】Toudai moto Kurashi (Under the Toudai is Dark)

Oct 11, 2016 00:07
Today, I will talk about the Japanese proverb "toudai moto kurashi."

The literal meaning is "under the toudai is dark," and it expresses "
it's difficult to take account of the closest things."

"Toudai", which is also called "toushokudai", means a stand for placing a plate of oil, and is used for brightening the room by setting fire.

Although the toudai can brighten the surroundings of itself, under the stand becomes shaded and very dark.

From this fact, "toudai moto kurashi" came to mean "it's difficult to take account of the closest things or things about yourself."

By the way, there is another proverb that has the similar meaning: "Chikakute mienu wa matsuge," the literal meaning of which is "What you can't see because of the closeness is your eyelash."
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【No. 0662】Health and Sports Day (Taiiku no Hi)

Oct 10, 2016 19:02
Today is Health and Sports Day (Taiiku no hi), and is a holiday for many Japanese people.

According to the laws related to national holidays in Japan, Health and Sports Day is "to enjoy sports and foster healthy bodies."

This holiday is established in 1966 to memorialize the Tokyo Olympic Games held in 1964.

Initially, Health and Sports Day was October 10th, which is the opening day of the Tokyo Olympic Games, but it is the second Monday of October today.

Also, I heard that the second Monday of October is "Columbus Day" for many states of the US, and it is gorgeously celebrated.
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【No. 0661】Hanage wo Kazoeru (To Count Nose Hair)

Oct 9, 2016 00:03
Today, I learned the Japanese idiom "hanage wo kazoeru," which means "to count nose hair."

Although this idiom is listed in general dictionaries, I didn't know it until today.

The literal meaning is just a strange act, but it refers to that a women control a man who likes her at will.

I heard that this idiom was established in the Edo period, but I don't know the correct etymology.

Anyway, I feel that a man whose nose hair is counted by a woman is pitiable.

By the way, you can also say "hanage wo yomu" (to read nose hair), instead of "hanage wo kazoeru."
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【No. 0660】Uri Futatsu (Two Melons)

Oct 8, 2016 10:17
Today, I will talk about the Japanese word "uri futatsu."

The literal translation is "two melons," and it means that brothers or parent and child are very similar to each other.

This word comes from the fact that when you cut a melon in two, these cross sectional shapes are very similar.

However, the same is true for many other vegetables and fruits.

Although it's not fully reliable, it could come from the fact that a cross section of a melon was compared to a face of a beautiful woman in Japan.

By the way, there is a similar expression in English: "as like as two eggs."
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【No. 0659】Te wo Someru (To Dye One's Hand)

Oct 7, 2016 00:02
Yesterday, I introduced a Japanese idiom "ashi wo arau" (to wash one's feet), which means "to quit crime or evil jobs."

Today, I will talk about the Japanese idiom "te wo someru" (to dye one's hand), which means "to start things or jobs."

The most widely accepted theory about the etymology is that "染める(someru)", which means "to dye", was originally "初める(someru)", which means "to start".

Also, there is another theory: once you dye your hand with dye ink, it will remain for a long time, as well as once you start something, it's hard-to-quit.

Since "te wo someru" is often used with words related to crime, many people think of it as "to start bad things," but it actually means just "to start something."

By the way, I heard that when you want to express "te wo arau" in English, you can say "to get one's feet wet."
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【No. 0658】Ashi wo Arau (Wash One's Feet)

Oct 6, 2016 19:12
Today, I will talk about the Japanese idiom "ashi wo arau."

The literal meaning is "to wash one's feet," and it expresses "to quit crime or evil jobs."

It's thought that this idiom comes from Buddhism.

In Buddhism, Buddhist priests walk around with their bare feet for ascetic training.

After they return back to temples, they wash their dirty feet for purifying spirits of evil thought in a secular world, then

From this fact, "ashi wo arau" (to wash one's feet) came to mean "to quit bad things."

There is another theory about the etymology, which comes from that Jesus Christ washed his disciple's feet, but it lacks credibility because the unspoken meaning is different.
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【No. 0657】Onna Gokoro to Aki no Sora (Women's Feelings and Autumn sky)

Oct 5, 2016 18:43
There is the proverb "onna gokoro to aki no sora," the meaning of which is "women's Feelings and autumn sky."

This proverb expresses that women are as fickle as autumn weather.

Actually, there is also a similar proverb "otoko gokoro to aki no sora," the meaning of which is "men's feelings and autumn sky."

This proverb expresses that men are as fickle as autumn weather, and tend to cheat on their partners.

It's thought that the proverb came from the fact that cheating by married woman was punished heavily, while cheating by men wasn't in the Edo period.

Today, such sex discrimination vanished, and I think that the women version of the proverb is used more frequently than the men version.
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【No. 0656】Atama ga Piman (Your Head is a Green Pepper)

Oct 4, 2016 07:11
Today, I will talk about the Japanese insult "atama ga piman," whose literal meaning is "your head is a green pepper."

This phrase expresses something like that "you have no brains."

The etymology is very simple: green peppers have large hollows in their insides.

In a similar way, there is a Japanese insult "hanashi ga piman," (your talk is a green pepper), which means "your talk is empty."

Note that these phrases were popular in the 1970s, and we rarely use them today.

By the way, if you say just "piman" (a green pepper) to someone, it can be an insult that means "your have no brains" or "you're empty."