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【No. 0655】Ishibashi wo Tataite Wataru

Oct 3, 2016 01:42
Today, I will talk about the Japanese proverb "ishibashi wo tataite wataru."

The literal meanings is "to cross a stone bridge after beating it," and it expresses "to do something cautiously and carefully."

This comes from that although stone bridges look firm, very careful people beat them for confirming safe conditions.

This proverb is often used to mean "someone is very careful," while it sometimes used to mean "someone is too cowardice" with irony.

Also, we sometimes say "ishibashi wo tataite kowasu" (to break a stone bridge by beating it too many times) for people who fail due to their carefulness, and say "ishibashi wo tataite wataranai" (not to cross a stone bridge after beating it) for people who don't act.

By the way, there is an English proverb "Hear twice before you speak once," which has the similar meaning.
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【No. 0654】"Hieru" and "Sameru"

Oct 2, 2016 00:02
Today, I will talk about the similar Japanese words "hieru" and "sameru".

Both of them use the same kanji "冷", and both can be expressed as "to get cool," but there is a clear difference about the meaning.

When you want to choose either word, consider it based on ordinary temperature.

"Hieru" means that bodies or things are cooled down below ordinary temperature.

For example: "Karada ga eacon de hieru" (my body gets chilled by the air conditioner) / "Reizoko de kudamono wo hiyasu" (I cool fruits in the refrigerator).

"Sameru" means that hot bodies or things are cooled down around ordinary temperature.

For example: "Atatakai gohan ga sameru" (hot rice gets cool) / "hotetta karada wo uchiwa de samasu" (I cool down my heated body by using a paper fan).
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【No. 0653】Saji o Nageru (Throw a Spoon)

Oct 1, 2016 00:10
Today, I will talk about the Japanese idiom "saji o nageru."

The literal meaning is "to throw a spoon," and this spoon expresses a spoon that is used in pharmaceutical preparations.

In the past, (Chinese medicine) doctors prepared medicines for curing patients.

However, when any approach to treatment wasn't found, they gave up and threw the spoons for preparing medicines.

From this story, "saji o nageru" came to mean "to conclude there is no chances and give up."

In the Edo period, there was a senryu （satirical haiku/poem） "inaka isha saji o nagete ha uma de nige," which means that a rural doctor threw a spoon and ran away riding a horse.
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【No. 0652】Hana ga Takai (Long Nose)

Sep 30, 2016 02:04
Today, I will talk about the Japanese idiom "hana ga takai," whose literal meaning is "long nose".

Of course, this idiom has meaning that someone's nose is physically long, but has also meaning of "proud" or "boastful".

For example, it's used as "musuko ga tenis no taikai de yusyo shite hana ga takai" (my nose is long because my son won the tennis tournament).

It is said that this idiom comes from a long-nosed goblin called Tengu.

The Tengu is a mythical creature in Japan, and is also called "symbol of pride."

If you say "Tengu ni naru" (to be Tengu), it will express "to be proud."

"Hana ga takai" and "Tengu ni naru" have the same etymology, but note that the former doesn't have bad nuances, while the latter expresses bad impressions.
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【No. 0651】Daikon Yakusha (Daikon Radish Actor)

Sep 29, 2016 00:05
Yesterday, I talked about the word "daikon ashi" (daikon radish legs).

Today, I'd like to talk about the Japanese word "daikon yakusya", which also uses a vegetable daikon radish.

The literal meaning is a daikon radish actor, and expresses an actor who gives a bad performance.

There are various theories about the etymology, but I will show you the two of them today.

One is that almost all dishes of daikon radishes never cause food poisoning ("to have food poisoning" is called "atarru" in Japan), so they came to mean "the actor won't be a big hit" ("to be a hit" is called "ataru" in Japan).

The othe one is that daikon radishes are white ("shiro" in Japanese), so amateurs ("shiroto" in Japanese) came to be called daikon.

I heard that a daikon radish actor is called "a ham actor" in English.
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【No. 0650】Daikon-ashi (Daikon Radish Legs)

Sep 28, 2016 00:18
Today, I will talk about the Japanese word "daikon-ashi".

The literal meaning is "daikon/Japanese radish legs", and it is used for comparing women legs to daikon radishes in many cases.

(The kanji "足" (feet) is commonly used for the "ashi" in the "daikon-ashi", but it means "脚" (legs) in this word.)

Currently, this word is used as a bad meaning, and implies that the woman's legs are thick like a daikon radish.

However, daikon radishes were actually very thin in the past.

Therefore, comparing women's legs or arms to daikon radishes meant "they're thin and white," and was a compliment expression.

If you make a slip of the tongue and say "daikon-ashi" to a woman, you should say "of course in the past meaning" quickly.
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【No. 0649】Seahorses

Sep 27, 2016 00:22
Today, I will talk about the fish called "seahorses", which have interesting shapes.

Seahorses are called "tatsu no otoshigo" (babies of dragons) in Japan, because their shapes look like dragons.
(In English, it was named "seahorses", because they looked like horses)

Interestingly, males of seahorses have brood pouches on their abdomen like females of kangaroos, and they grow their eggs laid by females up to juveniles.

Therefore, it looks as if males breed their children.

By the way, when a female lay her eggs into a brood pouch of a male, the shape of two seahorses looks heart-shaped, and it's very romantic.
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【No. 0648】Inu mo arukeba bo ni ataru

Sep 26, 2016 15:12
Today, I'd like to talk about the famous Japanese proverb "inu mo arukeba bo ni ataru."

The literal translation is "dogs that walk around will strike on a stick," but it expresses two different meanings.

One is that if you do something, you may be involved in unexpected misfortune.

This meaning is paired with the proverb "kaho ha nete mate," which means that everything comes to those who wait.

The other is that if you keep doing something, you will have unexpected fortune.

It is said that the latter meaning was established later.

I prefer the latter to the former.
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【No. 0647】Mecha-kucha

Sep 25, 2016 12:41
Today, I will talk about the Japanese word "mucha-kucha".

The "mucha" in "mucha-kucha" means that "something is unreasonable," or "something is excessive."

The "kucha" in "mecha-kucha" just emphasizes "mecha", and is put for arranging the rhythm of the word.

Therefore, both "mucha" and "mucha-kucha" have the almost similar meanings, but only "mucha-kucha" has the meaning of "something is spoiled."

This word is also said something like "mecha-kucha" or "mecha-mecha" instead of "mucha-kucha".

By the way, if you want to mean "something is excessive," you can also say "muccha", "meccha" or "mechanko".

(Note that "muccha" and "meccha" are the young people's words, and "mechanko is the Nagoya-city dialect.")
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【No. 0646】Yakeishi ni Mizu

Sep 24, 2016 12:22
Today, I will talk about the Japanese proverb "yakeishi ni mizu."

The literal meaning is "water to a burnt stone," and it expresses that any effect cannot be expected if your effort or help is a little bit.

The derivation is very simple: it's because if you put a little water on a burnt stone, the water will evaporate quickly.

There is another proverb that has the similar meaning, "nikai kara megusuri," whose literal meaning is "eye-drops from a second-floor."

This proverb also means "it's frustrating that things don't work out smoothly," in addition to "any effect cannot be expected."
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【No. 0645】Karada (Body)

Sep 23, 2016 23:31
Today, I'd like to talk about the Japanese word "karada", which has two different kanji.

The most common kanji of "karada" is "体", but it's also often written as "身体".

Basically, "体" expresses a physical body, while "身体" expresses a body including one's mind.

Therefore, while you can use "体" for any of humans, animals and insects, "身体" is used for only humans.

Also, in daily use kanji chart, the correct reading of "身体" is not "karada", but "shintai".

That is to say, if there is "身体" in a formal document, it should be read as "shintai".
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【No. 0643】Inu and Kame (Dogs and Turtles)

Sep 21, 2016 14:11
Dogs are called "inu" in Japan.

However, in the Meiji era, dogs (especially western dogs) were called "kame," which means turtles.

Also, "kame" was popular as a name of dogs at that time.

This came from misunderstanding of an English phrase.

It is said that Japanese people thought that Western people called dogs "kame ya" when they said "come here."

(In Japan, when people call someone or an animal, "ya" is sometimes put after the name.)

This misunderstanding was spread, and this is why Japanese people called dogs "kame".

Note that by no means the word "kame" means as dogs today.
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【No. 0642】Horafuki

Sep 20, 2016 20:12
Today, I'd like to talk about the Japanese word "horafuki".

The literal meaning is "a person who blows Hora", and it expresses "a person who exaggerates things" or "a liar".

"Hora" in "horafuki" comes from "horagai" (conch), and you can use it as a wind instrument by boring a hole.

Horagai as a wind instrument is used for avoiding beasts, or giving a cue of march.

This is because horagai can emit a very loud sound than its looks.

From this fact, "hora" came to mean "an unexpected bonanza", and "an exaggerated lie".

By the way, "an exaggerated fiction" is referred to as "horabanashi"(a hora story).
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【No. 0641】He no Kappa (Water Imp of Farts)

Sep 19, 2016 00:21
Today, I will talk about the Japanese slang "he no kappa."

The literal meaning is "water imp of farts," and it expresses "trivial things" or "easy things."

For example: "Sonna shiken wa he no kappa da" (That exam is trivial for me).

The most widely-accepted etymology of this slang is that it comes from "koppa no hi."

Since "koppa" (wood chips) burn out quickly by "hi" (fire), "koppa no hi" expresses "easy things" or "silly things."

It's thought that "koppa no hi" became "kappa no he," and inverting words became popular in the late Edo period, then it changed to "he no kappa."

Actually, "he no kappa" is grammatically strange.
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【No. 0640】Honjitsu wa Seiten Nari (It's Fine Today)

Sep 18, 2016 02:15
Japanese people often say "honzitsu wa seiten nari" when testing microphones or wireless applications.

In the radio station operation guideline, this phrase is defined as the test words when emitting radio signals.

Actually, this is the literal translation of "It's fine today," which is often used for microphone tests in English-speaking countries.

Since "It's fine today" contains plosive and fricative sounds that are difficult to pick up by microphones, and has a wide frequency band, it's thought that the phrase is optimal for testing microphones.

On the other hand, since the translated phrase "honjitsu wa seiten nari" doesn't contain such elements that should be checked in microphone tests, the Japanese version seems to be unreasonable.

I heard that Japanese public address engineers use "maiku chekku wan too" (microphone check one two) when they check microphones.
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【No. 0638】Own Smells

Sep 16, 2016 00:25
Some people have a habit of smelling themselves.

Actually, the reasons of this behavior are divided into two major categories.

The first reason is to check own state.

Some of them smell themselves in order to check whether or not their bodies are healthy or their smells cause trouble to surrounding people.

The second reason is to get a sense of security.

This psychology is similar to a marking of animals.

By smelling their own bodies, they can be aware of their territories, and can feel relieved instinctively.

Therefore, smelling yourself is natural as human beings.

However, since it will cause trouble if you follow your instincts too much, you have to be careful.
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【No. 0637】Yabu Kara Bou (A Stick From Shrubs)

Sep 15, 2016 00:42
Today, I will talk about the Japanese "yabu kara bou," whose literal meaning is "a stick from shrubs."

This is the abbreviation for "yabu kara bou o tsukidasu" (to poke a stick out from shrubs), and means that something happens or doing something suddenly without any warning.

The etymology is very simple: it's because if a stick is poke out from shrubs, you will be surprised.

Some people say "yabu kara hebi," whose literal meaning is "a snake from shrubs," but this usage is wrong.

It is thought that this abuse comes from the word "yabu hebi."

"Yabu hebi" is the abbreviation for "yabu o tsutsuite hebi o dasu," which means that "to lead bad consewuences by doing unnecessary things."
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【No. 0636】Poison of Green Peppers

Sep 14, 2016 00:42
I don't like green peppers.

Most Japanese children don't like green peppers too.

In addition, any mammal, such as cows or horses, doesn't seem to like green peppers.

Actually, green peppers contain a poison called "alkaloids", which produce a bitter taste.

(It's virtually harmless because the amount of the poison is less and we can degrade all of them.)

Therefore, hating green peppers is instinctive and very natural for mammals.

Palates of many human beings degenerate with maturity, and they become to like green peppers.

It's said that the reason why your palate degenerates is because the taste becomes unnecessary as your brain develops.
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【No. 0635】Shiri ga Aoi (A Blue Hip)

Sep 13, 2016 00:47
Today, I will talk about the Japanese idiom "shiri ga aoi."

The literal meaning is "your hip is blue," but it actually means that someone is premature or young.

This comes from that infant hips are bluish.

The blue hip is called "moukohan" (Mongolian blue spot), and is often observed in Asian.

In particular, it is said that more than 90% of Japanese infants have the moukohan.

It's thought that the generation mechanism of the moukohan is related to pigment called "melanocytes".

Also, there is another idiom "kuchibashi ga kiiroi" (your beak is yellow), which have the same meaning of "shiri ga aoi."

This comes from that a baby bird have a yellow beak.

I think that this idiom is similar to "green horn" in English.
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【No. 0634】Dekai Hebi (Dekay's Snake)

Sep 12, 2016 00:34
Since I found an interesting animal on the Internet today, I will share it.

It is the snake named "Storeria dekayi", which is also called "Dekai hebi" ("hebi" means "snakes") in Japan.

This snake is widely distributed in North America, and the population is stable: there is completely no worry about the extinction.

The name, "Storeria" comes from an American physician and naturalist "David Humphreys Storer", and "dekayi" comes from an American zoologist "James Ellsworth De Kay."

Here, what's interesting about the name is that "dekai" is a casual expression that means "big" in Japan.

I think that if Japanese people hear the word "Dekai hebi", most of them will image "a big snake", but they will be confused later because the snake is actually very small.