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【No. 1862】Kawa (皮/革 - Skin/Leather)

Jun 1, 2021 07:45
Kawa

The English words "skin" and "leather" are both referred to as kawa (かわ) in Japanese.

However, those kanji are different: 皮 is used to mean "skin," whereas 革 is used to mean "leather."

(Note that there is also a homonym kawa (川/河), which means "river.")

Basically, just like in English, 皮 (skin) refers to a "surface covering of an animal, plant, or food," and 革 (leather) refers to a "tanning processed animal skin."

Besides, there is a word hikaku (皮革), which is a combination of 皮 and 革.

Hikaku (皮革) literally refers to both "(animal) skin" and "leather."
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【No. 1861】The Names of the Fingers for Children

May 31, 2021 13:56
The Names of the Fingers for Children

In my post yesterday, I introduced the common names of yubi (指 - meaning "fingers") in Japanese.

Today, I would like to talk about other names of the fingers that are commonly used for children.

Otōsan-yubi (お父さん指): The literal meaning is "the father finger," and it actually means "thumb."

Okāsan-yubi (お母さん指): The literal meaning is "the mother finger," and it actually means "index finger."

Onīsan-yubi (お兄さん指): The literal meaning is "the elder brother finger," and it actually means "middle finger."

Onēsan-yubi (お姉さん指): The literal meaning is "the elder sister finger," and it actually means "ring finger."

Akachan-yubi (赤ちゃん指): The literal meaning is "the baby finger," and it actually means "little finger."

In other words, each finger is likened to a family member.
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【No. 1860】Finger Names

May 30, 2021 11:45
Finger Names

Today, I would like to introduce the common names of yubi (指 - meaning "fingers") in Japanese.

Oyayubi (親指 - "thumb"): Since oya (親) means "parent," the literal meaning of oyayubi is "parent's finger."

Hitosashiyubi (人差し指 - "index finger"): Since hito (人) means "person" and sashi (差し) means "pointing," the literal meaning of hitosashiyubi is "finger for pointing at a person."

Nakayubi (中指 - "middle finger"): Since naka (中) means "center," the literal meaning of nakayubi is "center finger."

Kusuriyubi (薬指 - "ring finger"): Since kusuri (薬) means "medicine," the literal meaning of kusuriyubi is "medicine finger."

Koyubi (小指 - "little finger"): Since ko (小) means "small," the literal meaning of koyubi is "small finger."
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【No. 1859】Amenbo Akaina Aiueo (あめんぼあかいなあいうえお)

May 29, 2021 10:53
Amenbo Akaina Aiueo

In my post yesterday, I introduced the word amenbo (アメンボ), which means "water strider."

The word amenbo appears at the beginning of a Hakushū Kitahara's song Gojū-on (五十音), which is often used for Japanese voice and tongue training.

The beginning of this song is amenbo akaina aiueo (あめんぼあかいなあいうえお).

Since akaina (あかいな) means "red," and aiueo (あいうえお) are the first five characters in hiragana and are vowels in Japanese.

That is to say, the meaning of amenbo akaina is "a water strider is red," and it is thought that aiueo is just added for the purpose of learning hiragana.

Incidentally, some water striders seem to be red, but most ones are not red.
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【No. 1858】Amenbo (アメンボ - Water Strider)

May 28, 2021 10:36
Amenbo

The English word "water strider (gerridae)" is referred to as amenbo (アメンボ) in Japanese.

It is thought that bo (ボ) came from the suffix bō (坊), which represents familiarity, or bō (棒), which means "stick" (because water striders have long arms and legs like a stick).

’Ame’ (アメ) has two different major meanings: ame (雨) meaning "rain," and ame (飴) meaning "candy."

Can you guess whether the ame in amenbo came from "rain" or "candy?"

The correct answer is "candy.'

The scent glands of water strides emit a sweet smell like candy.
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【No. 1857】Zento Tanan (前途多難 - Many Difficulties in Future)Zento Tanan (前途洋々 - Bright Future)

May 27, 2021 19:52
Zento Tanan, Zento Yōyō

To explain that there are many difficulties ahead, you can use the Japanese idiom zento tanan (前途多難).

Since zen (前) means "forward," to (途) means "on the way," ta (多) means "many," and nan (難) means "difficulty," zento tanan literally means "there are many difficulties on the way forward."

On the other hand, to explain a bright and hopeful future, you can use the Japanese idiom zento yōyō (前途洋々).

Yo (洋) means "sea" or "spreading water," and by adding the character 々 (meaning repetition of the previous character), it becomes yōyō (洋々), which means "water is full and spreading endlessly" or "hopeful."
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【No. 1856】Zehi (是非 - By All Means)

May 26, 2021 09:52
Zehi

Japanese people often use the term zehi (是非) when they strongly recommend something to others.

Since ze (是) means "good/right" and hi (非) means "bad/wrong," the literal meaning of zehi is "good and bad/right and wrong."

In fact, when using zehi as a noun, it becomes the literal meaning.

On the other hand, when using zehi as an adverb, it expresses a wish that you definitely want someone to do something.

This meaning came from the nuances of zehi such as "regardless of whether it is right or wrong."
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【No. 1855】Iiete Myō (言い得て妙 - Perfect Phrasing)

May 25, 2021 07:03
Iiete Myō

When someone says a clever expression and it is absolutely right, you can represent it as the phrase iiete myō (言い得て妙) in Japanese.

Since ii (言い) means "to say," ete (得て) means "can," and myō (妙) means "wonder/clever/beautiful," iiete myō literally means "one can say something clever and beautiful."

The intonation of iiete myō is almost flat, but it drops slightly at the te (て) of ete (得て).

This phrase can be translated into English as "perfect phrasing" or "beautifully put."
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【No. 1854】Ottamageru/Buttamageru (おったまげる/ぶったまげる - Mind-blowing)

May 24, 2021 09:07
Ottamageru/Buttamageru

In my post yesterday, I introduced the verb tamageru (たまげる), which means to be surprised.

If you want to emphasize the surprise, you can use ottamageru (おったまげる) or buttamageru (ぶったまげる) instead.

In these expressions, both o (お/押 - meaning "to push") and bu (ぶ/打 - meaning "to beat") are prefixes that strengthen the meaning of tamageru.

In practice, they are usually used colloquially, and you can say tamageta (たまげた), ottamageta (おったまげた), or buttamageta (ぶったまげた) when you are surprised.
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【No. 1853】Tamageru (たまげる - "Being Surprised")

May 23, 2021 19:16
Tamageru

To be surprised at something is sometimes expressed as tamageru (たまげる) in Japanese.

Tamageru can be written in kanji as 魂消る.

Since tama/tamashii (魂) means "soul" and geru/kieru (消る/消える) means "to vanish," the literal meaning of tamageru is "one's soul vanishes."

Originally, 魂消る was written as 魂切る (read as tamagiru - meaning "to be frightened") by using giru/kiru (切る meaning "to cut").

Tamagiru came to have the meaning of "to be surprised," and the latter half giru (切る) changed to geru (消る) accordingly.
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【No. 1852】Ijō Desu (以上です - "That's All")

May 22, 2021 12:55
Ijō Desu

Today, I participated in a technical committee meeting of an academic conference via Zoom.

There were reports on various agendas, and most of the speakers said ijō desu (以上です) at the end of their explanations.

Ijō (以上) means "more than" or "before now," and desu (です) is a polite suffix.

That is to say, ijō desu implies "what I have to say is as I mentioned before now," and this phrase is often used at the end of one's talk.

Note that the accent in ijō desu (以上です) is i (い), whereas if you put the accent on jō (じょう) and de (で), it becomes ijō desu (異常です - meaning "it is abnormal").
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【No. 1851】Kiite Gokuraku Mite Jigoku (聞いて極楽見て地獄 - What Is a Paradise on Hearsay May Be a Hell at Sight)

May 21, 2021 09:37
Kiite Gokuraku Mite Jigoku

Have you ever had an impression that what you heard and what you saw were completely different?

In particular, when what you actually saw is terrible, it can be described as kiite gokuraku mite jigoku (聞いて極楽見て地獄).

Since kiite (聞いて) means "to hear," gokuraku (極楽) means "paradise/heaven," mite (見て) means "to see," and jigoku (地獄) means "hell," the literal meaning of kiite gokuraku mite jigoku is "it is paradise when you hear it, hell when you see it."

This phrase implies that the difference between hearing and seeing is as great as the difference between paradise and hell.
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【No. 1850】Kaeru and Kawazu (「かえる」と「かわず」 - "Frog")

May 20, 2021 20:02
Keru and Kawazu

蛙, which means "frog," can be read in two ways: kaeru (かえる) and kawazu (かわず/かわづ).

The most common reading is the former, kaeru.

The latter reading kawazu is rarely used in daily life. You can only find it in waka (traditional Japanese poems of thirty-one syllables) or proverbs.

To the Japanese sense, kaeru sounds cute, whereas kawazu sounds formal or elegant.

In fact, in the past, kaeru was used as a spoken language, while kawazu was used as gago/miyabi-kotoba (雅語 - meaning "sophisticated word").
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【No. 1849】Todo no Tsumari (とどのつまり - "After All")

May 19, 2021 18:18
Todo no Tsumari

When describing "at last" or "after all," we sometimes say todo no tsumari (とどのつまり) in Japanese.

It is thought that todo (とど) came from a fish name, and tsumari (つまり) means "to block up."

A fish called bora (ボラ - "mullet" in English) has different names depending on the growth stage, such as okobo (オコボ), subashiri (スバシリ), ina (イナ), bora (ボラ), and todo (トド).

Here, todo is the last stage and implies that it will not get any bigger, and it came to have the meaning of "after all" by adding tsumari.

Incidentally, todo no tsumari usually used when the result is not so good.
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【No. 1848】Ebi de Tai wo Tsuru (海老で鯛を釣る - Throw a Sprat to Catch a Whale)

May 18, 2021 10:06
Ebi de Tai wo Tsuru

Making a large profit with a small investment or effort can be described as ebi de tai wo tsuru (海老で鯛を釣る) in Japanese.

Since ebi (海老) means "shrimp," tai (鯛) means "sea bream," and tsuru (釣る) means "to fish," the literal meaning of ebi de tai wo tsuru is "fishing a sea bream with a shrimp."

Here, ebi refers specifically to a baby shrimp.

In addition, tai is a high-class fish, especially in Japan.

That is to say, ebi de tai wo tsuru is a metaphor for "making a large profit with a small investment."
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【No. 1847】Atatte Kudakero (当たって砕けろ - Go for Broke)

May 17, 2021 19:19
Atatte Kudakero

When the fear of failure prevents you from taking action, the phrase atatte kudakero (当たって砕けろ) could help you.

Since atatte/ataru (当たって/当たる) means "to hit" and kudakero (砕けろ) is an imperative form of kudakeru (砕ける - meaning "to break"), the literal meaning of atatte kudakero is "hit and break."

Of course, this phrase does not mean "you should break."

It implies that you should take on challenges with strong determination even if it is unlikely to succeed.
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【No. 1846】Kaikaburi (買いかぶる - Overestimating)

May 16, 2021 16:57
Kaikaburu

To misjudge and overestimate a person's ability is represented as kaikaburu (買いかぶる) in Japanese.

Since kai (買い) means "to buy" and kaburu (かぶる/被る) means "to suffer damage," the literal meaning of kaikaburu is "to buy something and suffer damage."

Originally, this term meant its literal meaning, to buy something at a higher price than its actual value, resulting in a loss.

Afterward, kaikaburu came to be used for evaluating people and to have its current meaning.

Kaikaburu is a verb, but if you want to use it as a noun, you can use kaikaburi (買いかぶり) instead.
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【No. 1845】Nodo Moto Sugi reba Atsusa wo Wasureru (喉元過ぎれば熱さを忘れる - Danger Past and God Forgotten)

May 15, 2021 12:48
Nodo Moto Sugi reba Atsusa wo Wasureru

Some people forget all about the painful and difficult things once those have passed.

If you forget the experience of such hardship or failure, it will not become a lesson for you.

This can be expressed by the Japanese proverb, nodo moto sugi reba atsusa wo wasureru (喉元過ぎれば熱さを忘れる).

Since nodo (喉) means "throat," moto (元) means "base," sugi/sugiru (過ぎ/過ぎる) means "to pass," atsusa (熱さ) means "heat," and wasureru (忘れる) means "to forget," the literal meaning of the whole is "you will forget the heat once it passes the base of your throat."
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【No. 1844】Nekubi wo Kaku (寝首をかく - Catching Someone off Guard)

May 14, 2021 10:49
Nekubi wo Kaku

Getting caught off guard with a dirty trick is called nekubi wo kaku (寝首をかく) in Japanese.

Ne (寝) means "sleep," kubi (首) means "neck," and kaku (かく) means "to scratch" or "to cut," so the literal meaning of nekubi wo kaku is "to cut someone's neck in his/her sleep."

This phrase can literally mean to attach a sleeping person and cut off his/her head.

Since attacking a sleeping person is despicable, catching someone off guard by despicable means has come to be referred to as nekubi wo kaku.
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【No. 1843】Tebura (手ぶら - Empty-handed)

May 13, 2021 21:33
Tebura

When having nothing in your hands, the situation is described as tebura (手ぶら) in Japanese.

It is considered that tebura is an abbreviation for te wo burasagete iru (手をぶら下げている) or te wo burabura sasete iru (手をぶらぶらさせている).

Here, te (手) means "hand," burasageru (ぶら下げる) means "dangling," and burabura (ぶらぶら) is an onomatopoeia that represents something dangling.

This word implies that if you have nothing in your hands, your hand will be dangling.

Incidentally, tebura (手ブラ) also sometimes means using your hands to hold your breast instead of a bra.