Here is a list of Japanese “Word of the Day” shared in November 2021 on Takashioanry. See the Word of Today here.
Table of Contents
ピンからキリまで (also ピンキリ)
Meaning “(something ranges) from extremely good/expensive to bad/cheap”
Other Info: ピン = good, キリ = bad
お寿司の値段(ねだん)と味は{ピンキリだ/ピンからキリまである}
The price and taste of sushi range from extremely expensive and good to cheap and bad
これみよがしに
Meaning “(show something) in an attention-seeking way as if saying ‘Hey, look at this!'”
「これ大きくて便利なのよね〜」と言いながら、マキがシャネルのバッグをこれみよがしに見せてきた
Saying “This is big and useful”, Maki showed off her Chanel bag as if saying “Look at this!”
Saying “This is big and useful”, Maki showed off her Chanel bag as if saying “Look at this!”
焼(や)け石(いし)に水(みず)
Literal Meaning “water on a burning stone”
Meaning “make no difference; a drop in the ocean; be of no use”
「痩せるためにダイエットコーラを飲んでいる」と彼は言っていたが、焼け石に水だろう。
He said “I’m drinking diet coke to lose weight”, but that’d make no difference.
大目玉を食(く)う/食(く)らう
Literal Meaning “eat big eyeballs”
Meaning “be scolded severely”
Meaning “be scolded severely”
Other Info “Big eyeballs” indicate a fuming face with eyes wide open. While 食う/食らう usually mean “eat”, they can also mean “have/receive something negative”, as in ダメージを食らう(“receive damage”)
遅刻したら、先輩から大目玉を食らった
I came late and I was scolded severely by my senpai.
抜(ぬ)き打(う)ちテスト
Related Post: Japanese Expressions About “Benkyou” (Study)
Meaning: “a surprise test”
Meaning: “a surprise test”
「今から抜き打ちテストを始める」と言った瞬間、多くの生徒が悲鳴を上げた
“I’m giving you a surprise test now”, I said, which immediately prompted a number of students to scream.
船(ふね)を漕(こ)ぐ
Literal Meaning “row a boat”
Meaning “nod off while sitting”
Meaning “nod off while sitting”
Other Info: It likens how you sway your head back and forth while sitting asleep to the movement of rowing a boat. This is what a sea of Japanese サラリーマン (‘salary-men’, i.e. ‘businessmen’) do on a train late at night.
ソファーで読書(どくしょ)をしていた父(ちち)が船を漕いでいる。
My father, who was reading a book on a sofa, is now “rowing a boat” (“nodding off”).
My father, who was reading a book on a sofa, is now “rowing a boat” (“nodding off”).
あまのじゃく (天邪鬼 in kanji)
Meaning: “a person who has a twisted mind and is fond of doing the opposite of what he/she is told/expected to do or what a majority of people do”
Other Info: It is used either to describe oneself or others.
あまのじゃくだから、試験期間が終わった後に勉強する気になるし、真冬にかき氷を食べたくなる。
Because I love doing the opposite, I feel like studying after an exam period is over, and feel like eating shaved ice in the dead of winter.
正義(せいぎ)マン
Literal Meaning “justice man”
Meaning “people who are always looking for someone to abuse for doing something immoral or unethical — no matter how trivial they are — just to show off their moral superiority.”
Other Info: This word became popular when Japan’s new consumption tax system was introduced in October 2019; see the blog post for its detail.
有名人が不倫したというニュースが出ると、数多くの正義マンがネットに現れて激しく避難する。
Whenever news comes out about someone famous having an affair, a plethora of “justice men” pop up on the internet and criticise them severely.
Other Info: This word became popular when Japan’s new consumption tax system was introduced in October 2019; see the blog post for its detail.
有名人が不倫したというニュースが出ると、数多くの正義マンがネットに現れて激しく避難する。
Whenever news comes out about someone famous having an affair, a plethora of “justice men” pop up on the internet and criticise them severely.
閑古鳥(かんこどり)が鳴(な)く
Literal Meaning “a cuckoo sings”
Meaning “a shop/place is deserted which is supposed to be lively (e.g. a restaurant/hotel/tourist spot) ”
Other Info: The empty places are associated with a quiet forest where the desolate sound of a cuckoo resonates.
コロナウイルスの影響で、観光地では閑古鳥が鳴いている
Because of the effect of the coronavirus, “a cuckoo is singing” in tourist spots. ( = There are very few people in tourists spots)
Other Info: The empty places are associated with a quiet forest where the desolate sound of a cuckoo resonates.
コロナウイルスの影響で、観光地では閑古鳥が鳴いている
Because of the effect of the coronavirus, “a cuckoo is singing” in tourist spots. ( = There are very few people in tourists spots)
〜はお腹(なか)いっぱい
Literal Meaning “(I’m) full regarding ~
Meaning “I’ve had a bellyful of ~”
このニュースはもうお腹いっぱい
“I’ve had a bellyful of this news”
人望 (じんぼう)
Meaning “popularity; trust and respect from others”
人望がないので、ライブ動画(どうが)を配信(はいしん)しても誰(だれ)も見(み)にこない。
Because I don’t have popularity, even if I stream a live video, nobody comes to see me.
Because I don’t have popularity, even if I stream a live video, nobody comes to see me.
毒(どく)にも薬(くすり)にもならない
Literal Meaning: “serve as neither poison nor medicine”
Meaning: “have little value/impact/meaning”
Meaning: “have little value/impact/meaning”
Other Info: Sometimes, it is used to lower/humble oneself, as in the second example below.
この本は当たり前のことしか書いてなくて、毒にも薬にもならない
Only quite obvious things are written in this book, and it serves as neither poison nor medicine
ブログでは毒にも薬にもならないような事を書いています。
“In my blog, I write about something that doesn’t serve as poison or medicine. (≒ write about nothing special)”
“In my blog, I write about something that doesn’t serve as poison or medicine. (≒ write about nothing special)”
XYZのXの字(じ)もない
(XYZ: noun/adj, X: its initial character/syllable)
Literal Meaning: “there isn’t even the character of X in XYZ”
Meaning: “don’t have the slightest element/sign of XYZ”
彼女にはオシャレのオの字もない
“She has no fashion sense whatsoever .”
感謝(かんしゃ)のかの字もない彼の態度(たいど)に、私はとてもイライラした。
I was quite irritated by his attitude that did not show the slightest sign of gratitude.
安物(やすもの)買(か)いの銭(ぜに)失(うしな)い
Literal Meaning “Buy cheap items and lose money”
Meaning “Buying cheap items ends up costing you a lot in the long run (as they are usually of poor quality and do not last long)”
Other info: Japanese proverb
Meaning “Buying cheap items ends up costing you a lot in the long run (as they are usually of poor quality and do not last long)”
Other info: Japanese proverb
安いパソコンを買ったら、３ヶ月で壊れてしまった。「安物買いの銭失い」とはまさにこのこと。
I bought a cheap PC but it broke down after three months. This is exactly “Buy cheap items and lose money”.
正夢 (まさゆめ)
Meaning: “a dream (during sleep) that becomes reality”
昨日の夜、財布(さいふ)をなくす夢を見た。正夢にならないといいけど。
Last night, I had a dream of losing my wallet. I hope it won’t become reality.
紙一重 (かみひとえ)
Literal Meaning: “paper one layer”
Meaning: “(There is ) a paper-thin (yet distinct) line between two things”
馬鹿(ばか)と天才(てんさい)は紙一重だ
“There is a paper-thin (and yet distinct) line between stupidity and genius”
挙(あ)げ句(く)の果(は)てに
Meaning “in the end (to make matters worse)”
Other Info: It is used when something happens that makes the situation even worse.彼氏に料理を作ったら「これだけ？」と言われ、挙げ句の果てには「お母さんのと味が違う」と言われた
I cooked for my bf but he said “Is this it?”, and in the end, he said “It tastes different from my mum’s one”
Other Info: It is used when something happens that makes the situation even worse.彼氏に料理を作ったら「これだけ？」と言われ、挙げ句の果てには「お母さんのと味が違う」と言われた
I cooked for my bf but he said “Is this it?”, and in the end, he said “It tastes different from my mum’s one”
腐(くさ)っても鯛(たい)
Literal Meaning: “It’s still a sea bream even if it has got rotten”
Meaning: “someone/something that used to be successful/valuable in the past still possesses or gives an inkling of their great talent/value/knowledge”
Meaning: “someone/something that used to be successful/valuable in the past still possesses or gives an inkling of their great talent/value/knowledge”
Other Info: A (red) sea bream (鯛) is regarded as a valuable/delicious fish in Japan. You can also replace 鯛 with a specific word (e.g. a job title, brand name), as in 腐っても元アスリート meaning “He is still an ex-athlete (and displays his talent even though his skill has gone rusty)”. Clearly, it’s not the best phrase to use to compliment people, as it suggests they have lost their values to some extent.
彼は10年前にプロサッカー選手を引退したけれど、アマチュアサッカーリーグで今年得点王になった。腐っても鯛だね。
Even though he retired from professional football 10 years ago, he became the top scorer in an amateur football league this year. “It’s still a sea bream even if it has got rotten”.
Even though he retired from professional football 10 years ago, he became the top scorer in an amateur football league this year. “It’s still a sea bream even if it has got rotten”.
雀(すずめ)の涙(なみだ)ほどの~
Literal Meaning: “as many/much as tears of a sparrow”
Meaning: “a very small amount of ~
Other Info: It is often used when one describes one’s salary in a self-deprecating way.
雀の涙ほどの給料(きゅうりょう)しかもらっていない。
I earn only a tiny amount of salary.
鵜呑(うの)みにする
Literal Meaning: “do the cormorant-drinking”
Meaning: “Believe something in a credulous/blind manner”
Other Info: It alludes to the fact that a cormorant swallows fish without biting. This idiom is so common that presumably a lot of people use it without being aware of its literal meaning.
ネットに書(か)かれていることを鵜呑みにするのはよくない
It’s not a good idea to blindly believe what is written on the internet.
目(め)の色(いろ)を変(か)える
Literal Meaning “change one’s eye colour”
Meaning “change one’s attitude significantly and show one’s strong interest/passion/seriousness; or one’s anger/surprise (less common)”
息子に「次のテストで満点を取ったら3万円やる」と言ったら、目の色を変えて真剣に勉強し始めた
I said to my son “If you get full marks on the next exam, I’ll give you 30k yen”, and then he changed his attitude significantly and started studying seriously.
~と言(い)わんばかり
Meaning: “As if one’s face/attitude says ~”
息子(むすこ)にお小遣(こづか)いをあげたら、「え、たったこれだけ？」と言わんばかりの顔(かお)で見つめてきた
I gave my son an allowance and he looked at me with a face that looked as if it said “Wait, is that it?”
ホヤホヤ
Meaning “be just made and fresh; freshly baked”
Other Info: It is usually used as 出来(でき)立(た)てホヤホヤ “be just made and fresh” or 新婚(しんこん)ホヤホヤ “just married; (lovely) newlywed”
出来立てホヤホヤのケーキ/会社(かいしゃ)/本(ほん)
“A freshly-baked cake/company/book”
猫(ねこ)を被(かぶ)る
Literal Meaning “put on a cat”
Meaning “pretend to be nicer than usual; hide one’s true colours”
Meaning “pretend to be nicer than usual; hide one’s true colours”
Other Info: It alludes to the two-faced character of a cat, which is usually very cute but can be ferocious at times.
あの子、いつもは悪口ばっか言っているのに彼氏の前では猫かぶっているよね。
She is always talking a lot of sh*t, but when she is with her boyfriend, she pretends to be a nice person.
あの子、いつもは悪口ばっか言っているのに彼氏の前では猫かぶっているよね。
She is always talking a lot of sh*t, but when she is with her boyfriend, she pretends to be a nice person.
なう
Meaning “(an event/action is taking place) now”
Other Info: Obviously, this is a loanword from “now” in English. Although some people regard it as old-fashioned, it is still used on social media (esp. Twitter), mainly because there are no other alternative words. Similarly, when you describe an action/event in the past or future, わず (“was”) or うぃる (“will”) were often used on the internet (e.g. 渋谷でデートわず: “I had a date in Shibuya”), but these words have got rather outdated in my opinion (but you still see many people using them on Twitter).
ラーメンなう
I’m eating ramen now.
人見知り (ひとみしり)
Meaning “be shy/nervous/awkward when one meets someone for the first time”
私人見知りだから、パーティーで知らない人に話しかけるのが苦手。
Because I’m shy around strangers, I am not good at talking to people I don’t know at a party.
記念受験 (きねんじゅけん)
Literal Meaning “taking memorial exams”
Meaning “taking tests for qualification/admission with little chance of success”
Other Indo: For instance, it is going to be a ‘memorial exam’ if you take the JLPT N1 test armed with in-depth knowledge about anime and manga only
Other Indo: For instance, it is going to be a ‘memorial exam’ if you take the JLPT N1 test armed with in-depth knowledge about anime and manga only
東大(とうだい)を記念受験したら受(う)かってびっくりした。
I took the admission tests for the University of Tokyo while thinking I was not gonna make it, and so I was very surprised that I passed.
I took the admission tests for the University of Tokyo while thinking I was not gonna make it, and so I was very surprised that I passed.
逆(ぎゃく)ギレ [+する]
Literal Meaning “reversed anger”
Meaning “to get angry in an irrational way after someone points out your fault or mistake”
Other Info: It is “reversed” in a way that you get angry when you are the one to be blamed. (cf) キレる: “get furious” 半(はん)ギレ: “half-angry”彼氏が浮気したことを責(せ)めたら、逆ギレされた。
Other Info: It is “reversed” in a way that you get angry when you are the one to be blamed. (cf) キレる: “get furious” 半(はん)ギレ: “half-angry”彼氏が浮気したことを責(せ)めたら、逆ギレされた。
I accused my boyfriend of cheating on me, and he rather got angry at me in an irrational way.
エセ関西弁(かんさいべん)
Meaning “phoney Kansai dialect”
Antonym: コテコテの関西弁 (“very thick Kansai-ben”)
Antonym: コテコテの関西弁 (“very thick Kansai-ben”)
Other Info: This is something that Kansai people hate more than anything else.
お前そのエセ関西弁やめろや！なんでやねんのイントネーションが全然ちゃうねん！
Hey you, stop that phoney Kansai-ben! Your intonation of “nandeyanen” is completely wrong!
Hey you, stop that phoney Kansai-ben! Your intonation of “nandeyanen” is completely wrong!
懐(なつ)く
Meaning: “(an animal/pet) becomes affectionate/friendly to someone”
Other info: * 人(ひと)懐(なつ)っこい: very friendly to people
飼(か)っている猫(ねこ)が私に全然(ぜんぜん)懐いてくれない
The cat I’m having as a pet is not friendly to me at all.
The cat I’m having as a pet is not friendly to me at all.
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