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【No. 1822】Nezumi Tori (ねずみ捕り - Speed Trap)

Apr 22, 2021 22:16
Nezumi Tori

Today, I would like to introduce the term nezumi tori (ねずみ捕り).

Since nezumi (ねずみ) means "rat" and tori (捕り) means "trap," the literal meaning of nezumi tori is "rat trap."

In addition to its literal meaning, this term can also mean "police speed trap."

The police measure speed and catch the speed violator on straight roads that are easy to speed on. Because the method of catching speeders in a speed trap is similar to catching rats with a rat trap, nezumi tori has come to have the above meaning.
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【No. 1821】Rōbashin (老婆心 - Excessive Kindness)

Apr 21, 2021 08:33
Rōbashin

The feeling of worrying about someone or the desire to give someone a word of advice is referred to as rōbashin (老婆心) in Japanese.

Since rō (老) means "old," ba/baba (婆) means "old lady" or "grandmother," and shin (心) means "heart," the literal meaning of rōbashin is "an old lady's heart."

Elderly women have experienced a lot in life and tend to care and worry about their children/grandchildren more than necessary, so such excessive kindness has come to be called rōbashin.

It is often used as rōbashin nagara (老婆心ながら - meaning "though it may not be necessary") with the adversative conjunction nagara (ながら).
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【No. 1820】Iku Dō-on (異口同音 - Unanimously)

Apr 20, 2021 08:35
Iku Dō-on

The four-character idiom iku dō-on (異口同音) represents that many people say the same thing or opinion.

i (異) means "difference," ku/kuchi (口) means "mouth," dō (同) means "same," and on (音) means "sound."

That is to say, iku dō-on literally means that many different mouths emit the same sound.

This idiom is usually used as an adverb with the case particle ni (に), such as iku dō-on ni (異口同音に).

It can be translated into English as "unanimously" or "with one voice."
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【No. 1819】Namida ni Shizumu (涙に沈む - Bathing in Tears)

Apr 19, 2021 19:14
Namida ni Shizumu

There are many Japanese phrases that mean crying.

Today, I would like to introduce a quaint expression, namida ni shizumu (涙に沈む).

Namida (涙) means "tear" and shizumu (沈む) means that something goes into water or gets depressed.

In other words, we can regard the meaning of namida ni shizumu as getting depressed while shedding tears.

However, this phrase is used when someone collapses in tears and cries nonstop.

The person who started using this phrase probably wanted to mean to sheds buckets of tears as if one can bathe/drown in tears.
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【No. 1818】Gyafun to Iwaseru (ぎゃふんと言わせる - Beating Someone Down to Size)

Apr 18, 2021 17:47
Gyafun to Iwaseru

Today, I would like to introduce the phrase gyafun to iwaseru (ぎゃふんと言わせる), which means to beat someone and make him/her feel frustrated.

Gyafun (ぎゃふん) is an onomatopoeia expressing that someone got a point and you can't say anything back, and iwaseru (言わせる) means "making someone say," so gyafun to iwaseru has the above meaning.

Here, it is considered that gya (ぎゃ) is a exclamation representing "surprise," and fun/fumu (ふん/ふむ) is an interjection representing "convinced."
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【No. 1817】Shitsunen (失念 - Slipping One's Mind)

Apr 17, 2021 12:34
Shitsunen

The most common phrase to use when you forget to do something is wasurete imashita (忘れていました - "I forgot to do").

Today, I would like to introduce the term shitsunen (失念), which can be used in business situations and sounds more polite than wasureta (忘れた - "forgetting").

Since shitsu (失) means "losing" and nen (念) means "thought," the literal meaning of shitsunen is "losing one's thought."

Shitsunen is one of the earthly desires in Buddhism and originally means "scattering mind," "losing devotion," and "forgetting the words of Buddhism."

Derived from here, it has come to be widely used as the meaning of "forgetting something."

In actual situations, it is often used as shitsunen shite ori mashita (失念しておりました - "It slipped my mind").
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【No. 1816】Icchōra (一張羅 - Best Clothes)

Apr 16, 2021 11:05
Icchōra

I have a icchōra (一張羅) that I have used for over 10 years.

It is considered that icchōra came from icchōrō (一挺蝋).

Since i/ichi (一) means "one," chō (挺) is a unit of number, and rō (蝋) is short for rōsoku (蝋燭 - meaning "candle"), the literal meaning of icchōrō is "one candle."

In the past, candles were expensive, and one irreplaceable candle was referred to as icchōrō.

Later, one irreplaceable kimono (Japanese traditional clothes) came to be called icchōra (一張羅) by using the word ra (羅 - meaning "thin kimono").

Furthermore, icchōra came to have the meaning of one's best clothes.
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【No. 1815】Donburako (どんぶらこ)

Apr 15, 2021 10:43
Donburako

Today, I would like to introduce a unique onomatopoeia donburako (どんぶらこ).

Donburako is an onomatopoeia representing that a heavy and large thing floats up and down in the stream of water.

It is thought to come from another onomatopoeic word dobun (どぶん), which represents a sound when something is dropped into water.

Almost all Japanese people will imagine a scene of a big peach flowing in a river when hearing donburako.

This is because there is such a scene at the beginning of the famous tale of old Japan, momotarō (桃太郎).
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【No. 1814】Totte Tsuketa Youna (取って付けたような - Unnatural/Artificial)

Apr 14, 2021 13:22
Totte Tsuketa Youna

When someone's words or attitudes are unnatural and artificial, you can describe it as totte tsuketa youna (取って付けたような).

Since totte (取って) means "to take (off)," tsuketa (付けた) means "to attach," and youna (ような) means "as if," the literal meaning of totte tsuketa youna is "as if it is taken off and attached."

As you can imagine, if you take something off from somewhere and attach it to another place, it will not be smoothly connected and make others feel unnatural.

Because of this, totte tsuketa youna has the meaning of unnatural and artificial.
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【No. 1813】Hana wo Motaseru (花を持たせる - Letting Someone Take the Credit)

Apr 13, 2021 13:13
Hana wo Motaseru

Today, I introduced you to the idiom hana wo motaseru (花を持たせる).

Hana (花) means "flower" and motaseru (持たせる) means "to let someone have something," so the literal meaning of hana wo motaseru is "to let someone have a flower."

Just imagine what kind of situation the word is actually used in.

Here, the flower implies something special, such as credit, honor, or win.

That is to say, the idiom hana wo motaseru has the meaning of letting someone take the credit, honor, or win.
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【No. 1812】Suzu wo Korogasu youna Koe (鈴を転がすような声 - Clear and Beautiful Voice)

Apr 12, 2021 20:47
Suzu wo Korogasu youna Koe

A woman's high, clear and beautiful voice is sometimes describes as suzu wo korogasu youna koe (鈴を転がすような声).

Since suzu (鈴) means "bell," korogasu (転がす) means "rolling," and koe (声) means "voice," the literal meaning of suzu wo korogasu youna koe is "a voice as if someone is rolling a bell."

The word "bell" in English might remind you of a cup-shaped musical instrument that makes a sound when shaking it, but suzu in Japan is basically a small sphere-shaped instrument (probably "jingle bell" in English).

Incidentally, a common onomatopoeia for the sound of a bell in Japan is chirin chirin (ちりんちりん).
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【No. 1811】How to Use 'Hitoshio'

Apr 11, 2021 20:58
How to Use 'Hitoshio'

In my post yesterday, I introduced the term hitoshio (ひとしお), which means "strikingly."

Hitoshio is an old Japanese word that has an elegant and polite nuance.

Basically, hitoshio is often used in sentences like ___ mo hitoshio (～もひとしお) when positive emotions such as pleasure and sensation increase further due to some special events.

For example, when your long-standing project finally succeeds, you can say:
Naganen no doryoku ga mukuware, yorokobi mo hitoshio desu (長年の努力が報われ、喜びもひとしおです - "My longtime effort finally paid off and I am so delighted").
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【No. 1810】一入 (strikingly)

Apr 10, 2021 13:11
一入

Do you know how to read 一入?

一入 is very similar to 一人 (read as hitori, means "one person"), but the kanji is 入, not 人.

入 of 一入 ('hitoshio') is read as shio, and it is a counter suffix representing the number of times to soak a cloth in dye.

In addition, hito (一) means "one," so the literal meaning of hitoshio (一入) is soaking a cloth in dye once.

If you soak a cloth in dye even once, the color becomes very vibrant.

Because of this, hitoshio has the meaning of "strikingly."
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【No. 1809】Mī-Hā (ミーハー - A Person Who Follow the Crowd)

Apr 9, 2021 19:27
Mī-Hā

I think I am mī-hā (ミーハー).

Mī-hā refers to a person who is crazy about following trends, even though he/she was not actually interested in them.

It is thought that mī-hā is short for mī-chan hā-chan (みいちゃんはあちゃん)

There are several theories about the etymology of mī-chan hā-chan. I will introduce the most accepted theory in the following.

In Japan at the beginning of 1900, when this phrase was borne, there were many women whose names started with mi (み) and ha (は), such as miyo (みよ) and hana (はな).

Because of this, mī-chan hā-chan became a slang term that represents young women, and later, it came to have the above meaning.
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【No. 1808】Okanmuri (お冠 - Bad Temper)

Apr 8, 2021 13:55
Okanmuri

To describe that someone is angry or in a bad mood, Japanese people sometimes use the term okanmuri (お冠).

O (お) is a polite prefix and kanmuri (冠) means "crown."

It is believed that okanmuri came from the idiom kanmuri wo mageru (冠を曲げる).

Since mageru (曲げる) means "bend/angle," the literal meaning of kanmuri wo mageru is "to angle one's crown."

In the past, when showing rebellious spirits toward superiors or Emperors, Japanese aristocrats intentionally angled their crowns.

Because of this, kanmuri wo mageru came to mean "angry" or "bad mood," and it has become okanmuri for short.

Based on this etymology, okanmuri / kanmuri wo mageru is often used especially to describe the angry/bad mood of superiors.
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【No. 1807】Sābisu Zangyō (サービス残業 - Wage Theft)

Apr 7, 2021 21:05
Sābisu Zangyō

Unfortunately, people around me often do sābisu zangyō (サービス残業).

Sābisu zangyō is a colloquial term meaning to work overtime without pay, which is known as "wage theft" in English.

Since sābisu (サービス) comes from "service" and zangyō means "(working) overtime," the literal meaning of sābisu zangyō is "service overtime."

Here, "service" is used to mean something like a volunteer service for the company.

It is sometimes called sabizan (サビ残) for short.

A survey by Takushoku University have found that about 40% of Japanese workers are forced to do sābisu zangyō.
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【No. 1806】The Reason Why Cats' Backs Are Rounded

Apr 6, 2021 20:26
The Reason Why Cats' Backs Are Rounded

In my post yesterday, I introduced the term nekoze (猫背 - literally "cat back"), which means a rounded back.

It is not good for humans to have a rounded back, but there are functional reasons why cats have rounded backs.
(Cats have about 240 bones, whereas humans have about 200 bones.)

First, cats have more bones and joints than humans and can bend and stretch their backs flexibly.

Cats' flexible and rounded backs can effectively absorb the impact of landing.

In addition, cats can move very quickly by stretching the rounded back swiftly like a spring.
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【No. 1805】Nekoze (猫背 - Rounded Back)

Apr 5, 2021 12:07
Nekoze

Many Japanese people have nekoze (猫背).

Nekoze is a posture in which one's back is curved, and the head is protruded. It can be translated into English as "hunched posture" or "rounded/curved back."

Since neko means "cat" and ze/se (背) means "back," the literal meaning of nekoze is "cat back."

As you know, cats' backs are basically rounded.

That is to say, the Japanese term nekoze was made by comparing humans curved backs to cats backs.

Please note that nekoze (of human) could lead to various uncomfortable symptoms such as indigestion, tiredness, and headaches.
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【No. 1804】Batsu ga Warui (ばつが悪い - Awkward/Uncomfortable)

Apr 4, 2021 22:48
Batsu ga Warui

I sometimes become a state called batsu ga warui (ばつが悪い).

Batsu ga warui is a phrase representing that one feels embarrassed and uncomfortable.

Warui (悪い) means "bad,' but there are two acceptable etymologies for batsu (ばつ).

One theory says that batsu is short for batsugou (場都合), which means "situation/atmosphere," and the other theory says that it is batsu (跋), which means a postscript of a book.

The former theory implies a bad atmosphere, whereas the latter theory implies a bad consequence; both of which can be lead to the meaning of batsu ga warui.
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【No. 1803】Shiko no Kan (指呼の間 - Hailing Distance)

Apr 3, 2021 17:02
Shiko no Kan

In my post two days ago, I introduced the term me to hana no saki (目と鼻の先), which describe a very short distance.

If you want to describe a simply short distance, you can say shiko no kan (指呼の間).

Shi (指) means "finger", ko (呼) means "call", and kan (間) means "span/distance."

That is to say, shiko no kan represents a distance that you can call out to and point at someone with your finger, or a distance that you can call out and get a reply.