遠慮の塊 (Enryo no katamari): “Hesitation Lump” in Kansai-ben Slang

Pronunciation

Definition

遠慮の塊 (えんりょ の かたまり, enryo no katamari) is a slang word in the Kansai dialect that means “a last piece of food on a plate shared by multiple people”. In other words, it is the last bit on a shared plate that people are hesitant to reach for because they don’t want to be viewed as an ignorant glutton (e.g.) a last slice of pizza on a shared plate.

Word Structure

遠慮のかたまり consists of the two words  ‘遠慮 (えんりょ)’ and ‘かたまり’ with a particle ‘の’ in between them. The first word is often used as ‘遠慮する’, and that means ‘hold back or refrain from doing something out of consideration for others’, as explained in the other article. For instance, when your boss says he/she will treat you at a restaurant, you might 遠慮する (hold back/try not to get carried away) and order the cheapest one on the menu. The second word “かたまり” means ‘lump’ or ‘mass’. Therefore, 遠慮のかたまり indicates a last piece of food which people hold back reaching for due to their consideration for the others.

Example Sentences

じゃあ、僕ぼくがこの遠慮の塊食たべちゃいますね。

OK then, I’ll have this last piece of food on the plate if that’s fine.

Ex2

もうここ出でるから、この遠慮のかたまり誰だれか食たべちゃって

We’re leaving here soon, so please anyone finish these leftovers

Synonyms

Synonyms: None

Synonyms in English: a last piece of food on a shared plate

Related words and phrases: 遠慮えんりょ (holding back out of consideration for others), かたまり (lump; mass)

See also

1. Meaning of “遠慮する”

Meaning of 遠慮 (enryo) and 空気を読む (kuuki wo yomu)

2. Other Vocabularies in the Kansai Dialect

9 Essential Kansai Dialect (Kansai-ben) Words and Phrases