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【No. 1462】Rekki toshita (れっきとした - Respectable/Authentic)

Dec 19, 2018 23:30
Rekki toshita

When describing that someone is highly respectable or something is authentic with no shadow of doubt, you can say rekki toshita (れっきとした) in Japanese.

Originally, rekki was written as 歴 in kanji, and was read as reki.

The character 歴 has the meaning of "clear" or "obvious".

In addition, toshita (とした) means that something is being so.

Because of this, rekki toshita came to mean that someone/something is obviously respectable/authentic.

For example, you can say kare wa rekki toshita isha da (彼はれっきとした医者だ - "He is a highly respectable doctor."
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【No. 1461】Tassha (達者 - Skillful)

Dec 18, 2018 15:55
Tassha

Previously, I introduced you to the parting greeting phrase otassha de (お達者で), which is used for a person we won't see again for a long time.

Since tassha (達者) means that your body is strong, otasshade (お達者で - "being tassha") means "please be healthy."

However, the original meaning of tassha is different.

Ta/tatsu (達) means "to be enlightened" or "to be familiar with something," and sha (者) means "person."

In other words, the literal meaning of tassha is a person who is good at doing something.
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【No. 1460】Umi no Mokuzu (海の藻屑 - Being Drowned at Sea)

Dec 17, 2018 18:26
Umi no Mokuzu

To die due to a marine accident is called umi no mokuzu ni naru (海の藻屑になる) in Japanese.

Umi (海) means "sea," mo (藻) means "alga," kuzu (屑) means "scrap," and naru (なる) means "to become."

That is to say, the literal meaning of this phrase is "to become scrap algae at sea."

Incidentally, there is another Japanese term mozuku (モズク), which means "nemacystus decipiens."

Since mozuku is a kind of seaweeds and its sound is similar to mokuzu, some people say umi no mozuku to naru by mistake.
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【No. 1459】Miotosu/Minogasu (見落とす/見逃す - Missing)

Dec 16, 2018 22:33
Miotosu/Minogasu

Today, I was checking again the corrections that I received on Lang-8.

At that time, I found that I forgot to say "Thank you" for about 20 corrections.

I replied to them, but I feel sorry for not being able to notice them soon.

Like this case, to miss something is said as miotosu (見落とす) or minogasu (見逃す) in Japanese.

Mi (見) means "look," otosu (落とす) means "drop," and nogasu (逃す) means "miss."

Both of them have the meaning of "to miss something," but miotosu can also mean to pretend not to see something.
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【No. 1458】Ki ga Fureru (気が触れる - Losing One's Mind)

Dec 15, 2018 22:20
Ki ga Furetu

Today, I was about to take an act called ki ga furetu (気が触れる).

Ki ga furetu means to lose one's mind or become crazy.

Ki (気) in ki ga futeru means "mind" or "spirit."

Fureru (触れる) means "to touch" in most cases, but it can also mean "to be crazy."

That is to say, the literal meaning of ki ga fureru is "one's mind becomes crazy."

In present Japan, I think that ki ga hureru is the only idiom that uses the verb fureru as the meaning of "to be crazy."

【No. 1457】Akakara Nabe (赤から鍋 - A Red Hot Pot)

Dec 14, 2018 23:40
Akakara Nabe

Today I ate akakara nabe (赤から鍋).

Akakara nabe is a kind of dish that is popular in Nagoya, Aichi, and is a very hot pot made by blending red miso (味噌 - bean paste) and red pepper.

Aka (赤) means "red," kara (から) means "hot" or "spicy," and nabe means "hot pot," so the literal meaning of akakara nabe is "a red hot pot."

In fact, it is red and hot.

Today was a very cold day, but I was able to warm my blood by eating this meal.
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【No. 1456】Makahushigi (摩訶不思議 - Mysterious)

Dec 13, 2018 22:25
Makahushigi

There are many makahushigi (摩訶不思議) in the world.

"Makahushigi" means that something is very mysterious or wonder.

Since hushigi (不思議) means "wonder" or "mysterious," you can easily guess that maka (摩訶) is a word to enogasuse the hushigi.

In fact, maka comes from the Sanskrit term "maha", which means "great," "very," "amazing."

For example, you can use this term like Maka hushigi na dekigoto ga okita (摩訶不思議な出来事が起きた - A very mysterious event happened).

Incidentally, it is said that makahushigi is originally used to mean "wonderfulness that is beyond human understanding."
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【No. 1455】Uto Uto and Utsura Utsura (「うとうと」「うつらうつら」 - Drowsy)

Dec 12, 2018 21:05
Uto Uto and Utsura Utsura

Yesterday, I introduced you to the term inemuri (居眠り), which means to fall asleep unwillingly when doing something.

To express the state of inemuri, you can use the Japanese onomatopoeia, uto uto (うとうと) or utsura utsura (うつらうつら).

Uto uto describes that you drift into a light sleep.

Utsura utsura describes that you drift in and out of dreamland.

Both of them imply that you are half awake and half asleep, but the former focuses on half sleeping, whereas the latter focuses on half awakening.
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【No. 1454】Inemuri (居眠り - Snooze/Doze)

Dec 11, 2018 15:38
Inemuri

Today, I did inemuri (居眠り) for just a few minutes.

Inemuri means to fall asleep unwillingly when doing something (especially at school or work).

I (居) means "stay" and nemuri (眠り) means "sleep," so the literal meaning of inemuri is "a sleep while staying."

Inemuri is one of the common practices in Japan, and you can see it easily.

It is thought that this comes from the fact that working hours have increased and sleeping hours have decreased in Japan.

In English, it is represented by the word "snooze" or "doze."
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【No. 1453】Tori ni Tarinai (取るに足りない - Marginal)

Dec 10, 2018 23:32
Toru ni Tarinai

I sometimes do work that can be described as toru ni tarinai (取るに足りない).

Toruni tarinai means to describe trivial things, that is not worth to mention its details.

Toru (取る) means "to take" or "to pick up," tari (足り) means "enough" or "worth," and nai (ない) is a negative suffix to the previous term tari.

That is to say, the literal meaning of toru ni tarinai is "It is not worth to pick up."

Incidentally, some people say taranai (足らない) instead of tarinai.
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【No. 1452】Taguimare (類まれ - Extraordinary)

Dec 9, 2018 22:07
Taguimare

Recently, I had an experience that can be described as taguimare (類まれ).

Taguimare mean that something is very rare, or there is almost nothing that is equivalent to it.

Tagui (類) means "similar" or "same," and mare (まれ) means "rare."

That is to say, the literal meaning of taguimare is "there are rarely similar things."

For example, you can say something like Kare wa taguimare na sainō wo motte iru (彼は類まれな才能を持っている - He has an exceptional ability).
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【No. 1451】Debushō (出不精 - Houseplant)

Dec 8, 2018 18:44
Debushō

These days, I may have begun to have a property called debushō (出不精).

Debushō means to stay for a long time in the house due to the laziness, or a person who has such character.

De (出) means "to go out," bu/fu (不) is a negative term, and shō (精) means "spirit."

That is to say, the literal meaning of debushō is a spirit that you do not want to go out.

There is a theory that says that the term debu (デブ - "a fat person") comes from debushō, but the reliability is not clear.
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【No. 1450】Machibouke wo Kuu (待ちぼうけを食う - Chilling Out)

Dec 7, 2018 23:39
Machibouke wo Kuu

Now I am doing machibouke wo kuu (待ちぼうけを食う).

Since machi (待ち) means "to wait" and bouke/houke (ぼうけ/ほうけ) means "abstracted," the combination machibouke (待ちぼうけ) means that a person who you are waiting for eventually does not come or you are sick of waiting for someone.

In addition, kuu (食う) is a bit violent form of the verb taberu (食べる - "to eat"), but it can also mean to be subjected to an undesirable action from someone.

That is to say, machibouke wo kuu means that "to be subjected to an act of waiting for someone" or "to be stood up by someone."
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【No. 1449】Ōzume (大詰め - The Final Stage)

Dec 6, 2018 06:44
Ōzume

My research is about to reach a stage called ōzume (大詰め).

Ōzume means the final stage or phase of something.

Ō (大) means "big," and zume (詰め) means "fill," "infill," or "checkmating" in Shōgi (将棋 - "Japanese chess").

Originally, this term meant the last stage/chapter in historical Kabuki Kyogen (歌舞伎狂言 - "traditional Japanese dramas performed by male actors").

Later, ōzume has come to be used not only in Kabuki but also in common situations as a word to mean the final stage/phase of things.
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【No. 1448】Sharakusai (しゃらくさい)

Dec 5, 2018 23:42
Sharakusai

Today, I used the Japanese phrase, sharakusai (しゃらくさい), which is no longer used very much.

Sharakusai means that someone pushes oneself and is insolent.

There are several theories about the etymology of this; I will introduce two famous ones among them.

One theory says that sharakusai was made by adding kusai (くさい - "-like") to share (洒落 - "chic").

The other theory says that it comes from the fact that unpopular men used a lot of incense called kyara (伽羅).

In this theory, kusai (くさい) literally means "stink" or "smell bad."
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【No. 1447】Mochihada (餅肌 - Velvety Skin)

Dec 4, 2018 15:16
Mochihada

My skins have been rough lately.

Because of this, when I say a person who has mochihada (餅肌), I feel faintly jealous.

Mochi (餅) means "rice cake" and hada (肌) means "skin," so the literal meaning of mochihada is "rice cake skins" or "skins like a rice cake."

Freshly pounded rice cakes have various properties -- fine-grained, smooth, elastic, white and beautiful.

In other words, mochihada is a compliment that is used to a person who has such a beautiful skin.

Incidentally, in English, it can be expressed as "velvety skin," which is based on the texture of a velvet.
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【No. 1446】Gikkuri Goshi (ぎっくり腰 - Acute Low Back Pain)

Dec 3, 2018 15:08
Gikkuri Goshi

Two days ago, I hurt my low back suddenly and could not stand for a while.

When you strain your low back suddenly, the symptom is commonly called gikkuri goshi (ぎっくり腰) in Japanese.

Gikkuri (ぎっくり) is a term that describes that someone is surprised and upset, and goshi/koshi (腰) means "low back."

Interestingly, it seems that this symptom is called "Hexenschuss" in Germany and "Colpo della strega" in Italy, both of which mean "witch's shot."

Incidentally, the official name is kyūsei youtsū shō (急性腰痛症 - "acute low back"), but most Japanese people say gikkuri goshi.
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【No. 1445】Oyasumi (おやすみ - Good Night)

Dec 2, 2018 14:35
Oyasumi

The most common phrase used when you go to bed in Japan is oyasumi (おやすみ).

If you want to be a little more polite, you can say oyasuminasai (おやすみなさい) by adding nasai (なさい).

O (お) is a polite prefix, yasumi (やすみ) means "to rest," and nasai is short for nasatte kudasai (なさって下さい), which means "please do that."

That is to say, the literal meaning of oyasuminasai is "Please get rest."

You can use this phrase not only when you go to bed but also when you say goodbye to someone at night.
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【No. 1444】Yoku Ieba, Waruku Ieba (良く言えば～、悪く言えば～)

Dec 1, 2018 18:48
Yoku Ieba, Waruku Ieba,

I introduced you to the Japanese term ishiatama (石頭 - hard head/inflexible) yesterday, and majime (真面目 - serious/earnest) several days ago.

Both of these terms have a similar meaning, but majime includes a positive connotation, whereas ishiatama includes a negative connotation.

If you want to express a person who can be described by both of them, you can say as follows:

"Yoku ieba majime, waruku ieba ishiatama" (良く言えば真面目、悪く言えば石頭).

Yoku (良く) means "good/positive," waruku (悪く) means "bad/negative," and ieba (言えば) means "saying/speaking."

Therefore, the above expression means that he/she is majime (earnest) in a good way of saying, but ishiatama (inflexible) in a bad way of saying.
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【No. 1443】Ishiatama (石頭 - Hard Head)

Nov 30, 2018 17:50
Ishiatama

Several days ago, I introduced you to the Japanese term majime (真面目 - serious/earnest).

In addition, on another day, I introduced kimajime (生真面目 - too serious/earnest), which has a similar meaning to majime and a bad nuance.

There is another term that is used in a similar way as 'kimajime'; it is ishiatama (石頭).

Ishi (石) means "stone" and atama (頭) means "head."

That is to say, isiatama literally means that someone has a stiff head as if it is a stone and is inflexible.