Takashi's Japanese Dictionary

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

５本の指に入る (gohon no yubi ni hairu)

Yomi ごほんのゆびにはいる Rōmaji gohon no yubi ni hairu Type idiom Literal Meaning to be in five fingers Meaning to be in the top 5 Additional Info Sometimes, ３本の指 (top 3) is also used. Example この大学は日本で５本の指に入ると言われている。 This university is said to be in the top 5 universities in Japan.Read More

唯一無二 (yuiitsu muni)

Yomi ゆいいつむに Rōmaji yuiitsu muni Type idiom Meaning one of a kind; only one and special; someone/something that wouldn’t be substituted by other things/people. Synonym 特別, かけがえのない, オンリーワン Antonym 平凡, 何の変哲もない, ありきたりな Additional Info It’s often used as “唯一無二の + Noun”, and “唯一無二の存在” is a common phrase in particular. While it looks a bit similar to “second to none” (as it says 無二, “no two”), it doesn’t necessarily mean “the best”; it rather describes something/someone that is not comparable with other things/people. Note that 唯一 (ゆいいつ) is usually pronounced as “ゆいつ” in speech. Similarly, 雰囲気, whose official reading is “ふんいき”, is actually pronounced as “ふいんき”. Example 唯一無二の商品やサービスを提供する会社を作りたい I want to…Read More

百歩譲って (hyappo uzutte)

Yomi ひゃっぽゆずって Rōmaji hyappo uzutte Type idiom Literal Meaning let someone go ahead by 100 steps Meaning (I don’t accept/agree with your behaviour/opinion even if) I make a lot of concessions and grudgingly accept some of your point of view Additional Info It’s usually used when you state that something is utterly unacceptable no matter what. It’s commonly used as “百歩譲って…としても” (“Even if I make a lot of concessions and …”).  To put more emphasis on unwillingness, you can also say 一万歩譲って/百万歩譲って, etc. Example 100歩譲って彼氏が私の誕生日を忘れたのはしょうがなかったとしても、誕生日プレゼントが図書券だったのはマジあり得ない。 My boyfriend forgot my birthday, and even if I were to grudgingly accept it as an “oh well, sh*t happens” thing, it was utterly intolerable…Read More

振り出しに戻る (furidashi ni modoru)

Yomi ふりだしにもどる Rōmaji furidashi ni modoru Type idiom Literal Meaning go back to the starting point Meaning to go back to square one; to go back to the beginning/original state; to start over Synonym やり直す Additional Info 振り出し is the starting point in すごろく (sugoroku), a traditional Japanese board game.  It’s often used to describe when one catches up with the opponent in a sports match and ties the game. Similar to “back to square one”, it’s also used when your plan fails and you start it over again. Example 彼が同点となるゴールを決めて、試合は振り出しに戻った。 He scored a goal to tie the game, and the game went back to the beginning.Read More

嬉しい悲鳴 (ureshii himei)

Yomi うれしいひめい Rōmaji ureshii himei Type idiom Literal Meaning happy scream/yell Meaning a happy remark that says that one is very busy keeping up with high demand (for one’s services/products) Synonym 贅沢な悩み Additional Info It’s often (not always) used at the end of a sentence and works like an apposition (as in the example sentence below). It’s often heard in a news programme featuring a store that has suddenly become popular and very busy handling a rapid increase in orders or visitors. Example 「注文が多く入って人手不足だ」という嬉しい悲鳴 A Happy Yell: “We’ve had a lot of orders and are short of hands” Related Post https://takashionary.com/glossary/zeitakuna-nayami/Read More