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【No. 1882】Japanese Customs at the Summer Solstice

Jun 21, 2021 21:29
Japanese Customs at the Summer Solstice

Today, June 21st, is the day with the most hours of sunlight during the whole year in the Northern Hemisphere, which is called geshi (夏至) in Japanese.

Since ge (夏) means "summer" and shi (至) means "ultimate," the literal meaning of geshi is "ultimate in summer."

There are no major traditional events related to the summer solstice in Japan, but there are some local customs.

In the Kansai region, people eat octopus, hoping that the roots of rice will grow like the legs of an octopus.

In Shimane and Kumamoto prefectures, people make dumplings with freshly harvested wheat and offer them to the gods (then they eat the dumplings).
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【No. 1881】Samidare Shiki (五月雨式/さみだれ式 - "Intermittent Manner")

Jun 20, 2021 11:47
Samidare Shiki

In my post yesterday, I introduced the term samidare (五月雨), which means a light rain that lasts for a long term in the rainy season.

There is another idiom that uses the term 'samidare': samidare shiki (五月雨式/さみだれ式), with the addition of shiki (式) meaning "manner."

Samidare shiki means that something does not end at once and continues for a long time in an intermittent manner.

This idiom compares the intermittent and long-lasting nature of something to the rain in the rainy season.
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【No. 1880】Samidare (五月雨 - Early Summer Rain)

Jun 19, 2021 13:47
Samidare

The rainy season, known as tsuyu (梅雨) in Japan, has begun nationwide.

The light rain that lasts for a long term in this season is referred to as samidare (五月雨) in Japanese.

Sa (さ) means "god of fields" and midare (みだれ), which is also written as 水垂れ (literally meaning "water dropping") and means "rain."

In other words, this term implies that rain in the rainy season is no less a blessing for farmers who grow crops.

Incidentally, the Chinese characters for samidare is 五月雨, the literal meaning of which is "May rain."

Since the month here is the lunar calendar, "May" corresponds to around the middle of June in the current calendar.
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【No. 1879】Kuchi ga Omoi (口が重い - Having Few Words)

Jun 18, 2021 17:10
Kuchi ga Omoi

In my post yesterday, I introduced the idiom kuchi ga karui (口が軽い), which describes people who speak a lot and thoughtlessly.

There is also the expression kuchi ga omoi (口が重い), which uses omoi (重い - meaning "heavy") instead of karui (軽い - meaning "light") in kuchi ga karui.

Omoi is the antonym for karui, but kuchi ga karui does not have the opposite meaning of kuchi ga karui, that is, "people who does not speak without thinking" or "people who can keep a secret."

Kuchi ga omoi just means "people who have few words."

To mean "people who can keep a secret," you can say kuchi ga katai (口が堅い), by using the word katai (堅い - meaning "hard/firm").
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【No. 1878】Kuchi ga Karui (口が軽い - Having a Big Mouth)

Jun 17, 2021 08:16
Kuchi ga Karui

People who have a big mouth can be described as kuchi ga karui (口が軽い) in Japanese.

Since kuchi (口) means "mouth" and karui (軽い) means "light," the literal meaning of kuchi ga karui is "one's mouth is light."

Here, the Chinese character 軽 is used in terms such as karuhazumi (軽はずみ) and keisotsu (軽率), both of which means "rash" or "thoughtless".

From this, it is thought that kuchi ga karui came to mean "people who talk a lot rashly."
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【No. 1877】Kuchi wo Suppaku Suru (口を酸っぱくする - Telling Over and Over Again)

Jun 16, 2021 20:14
Kuchi wo Suppaku Suru

Telling someone the same thing over and over again is expressed as kuchi wo suppaku suru (口を酸っぱくする) in Japanese.

Since kuchi (口) means "mouth," suppaku/suppai (酸っぱく/酸っぱい) means "soar," and suru (する) means "to make," the literal meaning of kuchi wo suppaku suru is "to make one's mouth soar"

The etymology of this phrase has not been cleared, but the following two theories are possible:

One theory is that it came from the fact that when one's mouth dries out due to continuous talking, the oral cavity becomes acidic, which lead to feel sour.

The other theory says that it came from that when you tell the same thing repeatedly, your facial expression would become as if you have eaten something sour.
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【No. 1876】Karitekita Neko (借りてきた猫 - Much Quieter than Usual)

Jun 15, 2021 22:45
Karitekita Neko

Someone who is much quieter and meeker than usual can be described as karitekita neko (借りてきた猫) in Japanese.

Since karitekita (借りてきた) means "borrowed" amd neko (猫) means "cat," the literal meaning of karitekita neko is "borrowed cat."

In the past, Japanese people often kept cats to catch mice.

However, even if you borrowed a cat from another house to catch mice, the cat would not do its job well in a strange house.

Because of this, the phrase karitekita neko came to have the above meaning.
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【No. 1875】Jūyaku Shukkin (重役出勤 - Fashionably Late)

Jun 14, 2021 19:39
Jūyaku Shukkin

Arriving at work much later than the opening time, or just being late, is commonly referred to as jūyaku shukkin (重役出勤) in Japanese.

Since jūyaku (重役) means "executive" and shukkin (出勤) means "attendance," the literal meaning of jūyaku shukkin is "executives attendance."

This term was coined because executives do not have their working hours closely controlled by someone else, unlike regular employees.

In actual cases, this term is often used with a sarcastic nuance to someone who is late, such as "It's amazing that you can be as late as an executive."
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【No. 1874】Ki no Doku (気の毒 - Feeling Sorry)

Jun 13, 2021 08:20
Ki no Doku

To be sorry or have sympathy for someone's misfortune or suffering is described as ki no doku (気の毒) in Japanese.

Since ki (気) means "feelings/heart" and doku (毒) means "poison," the literal meaning of ki no doku is "poison of feelings."

This phrase was originally used to refer to something that makes you feel bad like poison.

Later, it has come to have its current meaning, because someone's misfortune or suffering also makes you feel bad.

When expressing one's feelings of sympathy to a person who has suffered misfortune, Japanese people usually say oki no doku ni (お気の毒に - "I'm sorry to hear that").
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【No. 1873】Kao ga Ureru (顔が売れる - Becoming Famous)

Jun 12, 2021 13:04
Kao ga Ureru

Becoming famous or well-known is expressed as kao ga ureru (顔が売れる) in Japanese.

Since kao (顔) means "face" and ureru (売れる) means "to sell," the literal meaning of kao ga ureru is "one's face sells."

Here, "face" implies someone's name-recognition or honor in society.

In addition, "to sell (to the world)" implies that something becomes well-known.

Because of this, kao ga ureru has the above meaning.

You can also say na ga ureru (名が売れる) in the same meaning of kao ga ureru, by using na (名 - meaning "name") instead of kao (顔 - meaning "face").
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【No. 1872】Kao ga Hiroi (顔が広い - Knowing Many People)

Jun 11, 2021 08:05
Kao ga Hiroi

A person who has a large circle of acquaintances and knows people can be described as kao ga hiroi (顔が広い) in Japanese.

Since kao (顔) means "face" and hiroi (広い) means "broad," the literal meaning of kao ga hiroi is "one's face is broad."

Here, kao (meaning "face") is used in the sense of "name recognition."

The synonym for hiroi (meaning "broad") is semai (狭い) (meaning "narrow"), but note that kao ga semai (顔が狭い) does not describe a person who has few acquaintances.
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【No. 1871】Oteage (お手上げ - Getting Stuck)

Jun 10, 2021 08:31
Oteage

When you get stuck or surrender, it can be expressed as oteage (お手上げ) in Japanese.

Since o (お) is a polite prefix, te (手) means "hand," and age (上げ) means "raising," the literal meaning of oteage is "raising one's hands."

The action of raising one's hands represents "an intention not to resist" or "a situation that you cannot resist," which leads to the above meanings.

In my post yesterday, I introduced te wo ageru (手を上げる - literally meaning "to raise one's hand(s)"), which is used in various meanings: "to raise one's hand," "to surrender," and "to do violence."

However, note that the meaning of oteage is not as diverse as te wo ageru.
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【No. 1870】Ude wo Gaeru / Te wo Ageru (腕を上げる/手を上げる - Improving One's Skill)

Jun 9, 2021 21:19
Ude wo Gaeru / Te wo Ageru

Improving one's skill or performance is expressed as ude wo ageru (腕を上げる) in Japanese.

Sine ude (腕) usually means "arm," but here it means "skill," and ageru (上げる) means "to raise/improve," ude wo ageru literally means "to improve one's skill."

You can also say te wo ageru (手を上げる) as a phrase with the same meaning as ude wo ageru, by using te (手 - meaning "hand") instead of ude.

However, note that te wo ageru has a variety of different meanings: "to raise one's hand," "to surrender," and "to do violence."
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【No. 1869】Ushiroyubi wo Sasareru (後ろ指を指される - Being Talked Behind One's Back)

Jun 8, 2021 11:15
Ushiroyubi wo Sasareru

When someone says something bad about you without you knowing it, your situation is described as ushiroyubi wo sasareru (後ろ指を指される) in Japanese.

Since ushiro (後ろ) means "back/behind," yubi (指) means "finger," and sasareru (指される) means "being pointed at (by someone)," the literal meaning of yubi wo sasareru is "being pointed at from behind by someone."

The act of pointing at someone is considered rude in many countries around the world.

This phrase implies that pointing at someone from behind without his/her knowledge is equals to saying badly about him/her.
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【No. 1868】Ushirogami wo Hikareru (後ろ髪を引かれる - With Painful Reluctance)

Jun 7, 2021 23:30
Ushirogami wo Hikareru

When you are unable to move on due to regrets, it can be described as ushirogami wo hikareru (後ろ髪を引かれる) in Japanese.

Since ushiro (後ろ) means "back/behind," kami/gami (髪) means "hair," and hikareru (引かれる) means "pulled (by someone)," the literal meaning of ushirogami wo hikareru is "the hair on the back of one's head is pulled by someone."

This expression was coined as the feeling of regrets is similar to the sense of having the hair on the back of one's head pulled from behind.

In the past, many Japanese men wore their hair long (especially on the back of the head) to tie a topknot, which may have led to the creation of this expression.
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【No. 1867】The Meaning of 河豚

Jun 6, 2021 17:23
The Meaning of 河豚

In my post yesterday, I introduced the word iruka (イルカ/海豚), which means "dolphin."

The literal meaning of the Chinese characters 海豚 is "pig sea."

On the other hand, there is also the word 河豚, which uses the character 河 for "river," instead of the character 海 for "sea."

The literal meaning of 河豚 is "river pig," but it is read as fugu (フグ) and means "pufferfish."

It is said that the character 河 is used because the common pufferfish in China (obscure pufferfish) live in freshwater such as the Yangtze River and the Yellow River.

In addition, there are mainly two theories on why the character 豚 was used. One is that the swollen figure seems to be a pig, and the other is that the menacing voice is similar to the cry of a pig.
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【No. 1866】The Meaning of 海豚

Jun 5, 2021 21:59
The Meaning of 海豚

There is a word 海豚, which is a combination of the kanji 海, meaning "sea," and the kanji 豚, meaning "pig."

The literal meaning of 海豚 is "sea pig," but do you know what it reads and what it actually means?

The answer is iruka (イルカ), which means "dolphin."

The word 海豚 was introduced from China to Japan using the same Chinese characters and meaning.

According to a 16th-century Chinese encyclopedia, 海豚 came from the fact that dolphins are sea-dwelling, pig-like creatures.

Personally, I do not think dolphins and pigs are very similar.
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【No. 1865】Kuchibi wo Kiru (口火を切る - Breaking the Ice)

Jun 4, 2021 10:32
Kuchibi wo Kiru

Initiating a conversation or creating an opportunity to start something is expressed as kuchibi wo kiru (口火を切る) in Japanese.

Kuchi (口) means "mouth/edge," hi (火) means "fire," and kuchibi (口火) means "the fire used to shoot bullets with a matchlock."

Kitu (切る) usually means "to cut," but here it means "to ignite."

In other words, the literal meaning of kuchibi wo kiru is "to ignite the match of a matchlock." Since this action could a signal or trigger for battle, the phrase kuchibi wo kiru came to have the above meaning..
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【No. 1864】Aji wo Shimeru (味をしめる - Getting a Taste)

Jun 3, 2021 22:49
Aji wo Shimeru

Have you ever had an experience where something went well and you expected it to be the same again?

Such a situation can be expressed as aji wo shimeru (味をしめる) in Japanese.

The common meaning of aji (味) is "taste," but in this case, it means "the feeling after experiencing something."

In addition, shimeru (しめる) is written in kanji as 占める, which means "to get something."

That is to say, aji wo shimeru means "to get the experience of things going well," which leads to the meaning of expecting the same thing again.
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【No. 1863】Tenshin Ranman (天真爛漫 - Simplicity)

Jun 2, 2021 09:33
Tenshin Ranman

A person who is honest, unpretentious, and cheerful is loved by many people.

Such a person can be described in Japanese as tenshin ranman (天真爛漫).

Since ten (天) means "natural/born" and shin (真) means "truth/purity," the idiom tenshin (天真) literally means "natural purity."

In addition, since ran (爛) means "shiny" and man (漫) means "fill," the idiom ranman (爛漫) means "bright and shining."

That is to say, the four-character idiom tenshin ranman literally describes a person who is pure and bright/cheerful.