Kanko-dori ga Naku

Today I will talk about the idiom "kanko-dori ga naku."

"Kanko-dori" means "cuckoo", "naku" means "to sing", and this idiom describes that there are no customers in shops or shops are lonesome.

(By the way, the kanji meanings of "kan" is "spare time", "ko" is "old" and "dori" is "bird".)

Usage example: A cuckoo (kanko-dori) is always singing in your shop.
(Your shop has hardly any customers.)

Cuckoos usually sing in quiet mountains or forests.

Our ancestors felt that the song of cuckoos is "lonely" and "sad", then such an idiom was made.

There are many other idioms that are derived from what our ancestors felt in nature.

閑古鳥が鳴く

今日は「閑古鳥が鳴く」とう慣用句を紹介します。

「閑古鳥」は「カッコウ」のことで、「閑古鳥が鳴く」はお店などに客がおらず、寂れている様子を表します。

使用例：あなたの店はいつも閑古鳥が鳴いているね。

カッコウはひと気の鳴い山や森で鳴きます。

日本人はその鳴き声を聞いて、「寂しい」「もの悲しい」と感じ、このような慣用句を作りました。

日本語にはこの言葉のように、自然の中で感じたものに由来する慣用句が多く存在します。

• There are many other idioms that are derived from what our ancestors felt in nature.
• There are many other idioms that are based on Nature and natural phenomena.

Interesting! To be honest, I had never heard a cuckoo in all my life.

• Today I will talk about the idiom "kanko-dori ga naku."
• This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!

• "Kanko-dori" means "cuckoo", "naku" means "to sing", and this idiom describes that there are no customers in shops or shops are lonesome.
• "Kanko-dori" means "cuckoo", "naku" means "to sing", and this idiom describes that a customer in a shop is never lonesome.

• (By the way, the kanji meanings of "kan" is "spare time", "ko" is "old" and "dori" is "bird".)
• (By the way, the kanji meaning of "kan" is "spare time", "ko" is "old" and "dori" is "bird".)

• Usage example: A cuckoo (kanko-dori) is always singing in your shop.
• This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!

• (Your shop has hardly any customers.)
• (Your shop has hardly any customer.)

• Cuckoos usually sing in quiet mountains or forests.
• This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!

• Our ancestors felt that the song of cuckoos is "lonely" and "sad", then such an idiom was made.
• The origin of this idiom probably comes from the fact that our ancestors felt that the song of cuckoos is "lonely" and "sad".

昔は東野圭吾さんの「カッコウの卵は誰のもの」という小説を読んだことがあります。カッコウという自分の卵の世話を他の鳥類に托する鳥類ですね。ちなみに、中国語で「客が来なくて商売がはやらないさま」は「門可羅雀」といいます。その意味は門前に網を張ってスズメを捕えることができるということです。日本語では「門前雀羅」と言いますね。中国語でも日本語でも鳥類で客が来ないことを表現することに対して面白いと思います。