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【No. 1891】Kata wo Kasu (肩を貸す - Lending a Hand)

Jun 30, 2021 17:56
Kata wo Kasu

To assist or help someone is expressed as kata wo kasu (肩を貸す) in Japanese.

Since kata (肩) means "shoulder" and kasu (貸す) means "to lend," the literal meaning of kata wo kasu is "to lend one's shoulder."

Of course, this phrase can mean its literal meanings: such as "to lend (use) one's shoulder to carry something" or "to lend (use) one's shoulder as a support for a person to stand up."

As you can guess, these acts of lending one's shoulder are usually done for helping someone, which is how this phrase came to have the above meaning.
肩を貸す

誰かを援助したり手助けすることを、「肩を貸す」といいます。

「肩」は "shoulder"、「貸す」は "to lend" を意味するので、「肩を貸す」の文字どおりの意味は "to lend one's shoulder" となります。

もちろん、文字どおり、「一人で立ち上がれない状態の人を、肩につかまらせて支える」や「物を一緒に担ぐ」といった意味を表すこともできます。

このような「肩を貸す」行為は、大抵は誰かを手助けする行為であることから、現在の意味を持つようになったというわけです。

Corrections (1)

No. 1 hakuame
  • Kata wo Kasu (肩を貸す - Lending a Hand)
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Kata wo Kasu
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • To assist or help someone is expressed as 'kata wo kasu' (肩を貸す) in Japanese.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Since 'kata' (肩) means "shoulder" and 'kasu' (貸す) means "to lend," the literal meaning of 'kata wo kasu' is "to lend one's shoulder."
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Of course, this phrase can mean its literal meanings: such as "to lend (use) one's shoulder to carry something" or "to lend (use) one's shoulder as a support for a person to stand up."
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • As you can guess, these acts of lending one's shoulder are usually done for helping someone, which is how this phrase came to have the above meaning.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
Toru
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