Takashi's Japanese Dictionary

A blog for learning Japanese that introduces Japanese slang words and Idioms!

お手上げ (oteage)

Yomi おてあげ Rōmaji oteage Type idiom Literal Meaning hands up Meaning getting completely stuck; throwing in the towel; throwing one’s hands up Synonym 降参, 万事休す Additional Info It’s usually used as もうお手上げだ (I’ve thrown my hands up). Example ３時間イヤホンを探したけど見つからなかった。もうお手上げだ。 I searched for my earphones for 3 hours but couldn’t find them. I’ve thrown my hands up.Read More

貧乏ゆすり (binbou yusuri)

Yomi びんぼうゆすり Rōmaji binbou yusuri Type idiom Literal Meaning poverty shaking Meaning leg shaking while sitting Additional Info According to one hypothesis, the name originates from how people in poverty shiver in cold weather. Example ねえ、机が揺れるから貧乏ゆすりやめて Hey, stop “poverty shaking” as it shakes the deskRead More

話半分 (hanashi hanbun)

Yomi はなしはんぶん Rōmaji hanashi hanbun Type idiom Literal Meaning a story half Meaning (to take a story) with a grain of salt Synonym 半信半疑 Additional Info It’s used in the following two cases: (1) to tell someone not to believe your story 100% because it may be wrong or prejudiced; and (2) to indicate that you listen to someone’s story with scepticism. Example ネット情報なので話半分で聞いて欲しいんだけど、スマホを頻繁に替える人はよく浮気をするらしい Don’t take this information too seriously because I found this on the internet, but it seems people who frequently change their smartphones often cheat on their partners.Read More

アホの一つ覚え (aho no hitotsu oboe)

Yomi あほのひとつおぼえ Rōmaji aho no hitotsu oboe Type idiom, casual Literal Meaning a fool remembering one thing Meaning Stupid/Naive people proudly and repeatedly display the same knowledge/idea Antonym 脳ある鷹は爪を隠す (“a smart hawk hides its talons” = “Really smart or talented people do not show off their knowledge or act pretentiously”) Additional Info Also バカの一つ覚え. Obviously, its tone is very sarcastic and provocative. Example アホの一つ覚えで彼(かれ)はいつも「AIをもっと使うべきだ！」と言(い)っている。 Just like stupid people proudly and repeatedly stating the same idea, he’s always saying “We should use AI more!”.Read More

玉にキズ (tama ni kizu)

Yomi たまにきず Rōmaji tama ni kizu Type idiom Literal Meaning a scratch on a (crystal) ball Meaning one flaw in a thing/person that is perfect otherwise Additional Info It’s often used when you talk about one flaw in something/someone that looks almost perfect. For some reason, きず is often written in katakana, but hiragana is also fine. In kanji, it’s written as “玉に瑕”. It’s the antonymous concept of “saving grace” in English (for which Japanese doesn’t have a word or phrase). Example ニンニクはとても美味しいけど、口が臭くなるのが玉にきずだ Garlic is very tasty, but its only flaw is that it makes your mouth smelly この鞄はオシャレだし沢山ものが入って便利だけど、少し重たいのが玉に瑕だ This bag is fashionable and also useful as you can put…Read More