Kinu wo Saku youna Koe (絹を裂くような声 - A Piercing Scream)

Kinu wo Saku youna Koe

Have you ever heard of a woman's piercing or shrill scream?

Such a voice can be referred to as 'kinu wo saku youna koe' (絹を裂くような声) in Japanese.

'Kinu' (絹) means "silk," 'saku' (裂く) means "to split" or "to tear," 'youna' (ような) means "-like" or "as if," and 'koe' (声) means "voice," so the literal meaning of this expression is "a voice like a sound generated when splitting a silk."

This comes from the fact that a high-pitched and sharp sound is produced when splitting a silk cloth.

絹を裂くような声

女性の甲高い悲鳴を聞いたことはありますか？

そのような声のことを、日本語で「絹を裂くような声」と表現することがあります。

「絹」は "silk"、「裂く」は "to split/tear"、「ような」は "-like/as if"、「声」は "voice" を意味するので、この表現の文字通りの意味は "a voice like a sound generated when splitting a silk" となります。

これは、絹の布を裂くとき、高く鋭い音が出る事実に由来します。