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You are here: Home / CM Tooltip Glossary / 元を取る

元を取る

February 11, 2023

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Yomi

もとをとる

Rōmaji

moto o toru

Type

idiom

Literal Meaning

get the source

Meaning

get your money’s worth; get something worth at least what you’ve paid

Additional Info

For instance, when you go to an all-you-can-eat restaurant, you may feel obliged to 元を取る by keep eating the most expensive meal on the menu. However, if you eat too much and feel sick as a result of trying to get your money’s worth, that is 本末転倒 (ほんまつてんとう), a four-kanji word meaning “primary objectives are sidelined/overshadowed by secondary objectives”.

Example

飲み放題の居酒屋に行くと、いつも元を取ろうとしてビールを沢山飲む
When I go to an all-you-can-drink izakaya, I always try to get my money’s worth and drink a lot of beer.

(* Drinking beer helps you 元を取る because it cannot be diluted unlike other izakaya cocktails (e.g. lemon sour)

この大学に入るためにとても高い授業料を払ったので、この環境を最大限に活かして元を取ろうと思う
As I paid very expensive tuition fees to enter this university, I’ll make the most of this environment and get my money’s worth.

Related Post

Japanese Money-Related Idioms and Slang Words

Related Articles:
  • Japanese Money-Related Idioms and Slang Words
    Introduction of Japanese kanjis, words, idioms, slang terms, and sayings about money! A must-read if you want to talk about money in Japanese!

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