Eight funny & figurative idioms you need to know in Japanese
Welcome back to our next “Video & Article” series with tutor Miki. In this article and video we will take a look at a couple of so called “cushion words” that you can use to make your polite Japanese sound softer and friendlier. Cushion words are essential for natural Japanese, so let’s see how you can integrate them into your speech!
| Table of Contents [膝が笑う] [心臓に毛が生えた] [～に毛が生えただけ] [心ここにあらず] [足がない] [腹を割る] [相変わらず] [鼻で笑う] |
Welcome back to our first “Video & Article” series with tutor Miki. In this article and video we will take a look at eight different idioms that are funny or figurative in Japanese. The idioms we will look at today will make your Japanese much more colorful and eloquent, and you can really impress your Japanese friends by using these correctly!
[膝が笑う]
The first idiom we will look at today is the expression “膝が笑う”.
膝が笑う
To have wobbly legs
The literal translation of this idiom means “Your knees laugh”, but the actual meaning is that your legs are wobbly, for example because they are very sore or tired, nervous, or scared.
Example:
昨日のハイキングで膝がまだ笑ってる。
Meaning, my legs are still wobbly from hiking yesterday.
[心臓に毛が生えた]
The next idiom is “心臓に毛が生えた”.
心臓に毛が生えた
To be brave, to have nerves of steel
The literal translation would be “A heart that grows hair”. Someone with “a hairy heart” is someone who is mentally very strong or brave, or has, so to speak, “nerves of steel”. The image is that the hair on the heart makes it less vulnerable.
Example:
心臓に毛が生えた人だけが入りたがるお化け屋敷。
This is a haunted house where only people with strong nerves want to go in.
[～に毛が生えただけ]
The next idiom we’ll take a look at is “～に毛が生えただけ”.
～に毛が生えただけ
~ is only marginally better than before, ~ is more or less the same
Example:
A: 昇給して給料あがったんじゃない？
A: You must have had a salary raise after getting a promotion.
B: いや、前の給料に毛が生えた程度だよ
B: Well not much, it’s more or less the same.
[心ここにあらず]
The next one is called “心ここにあらず”.
心ここにあらず
The mind is somewhere else
This idiom means that even though a person is physically present, they are so preoccupied with something else that they might just as well not be present. For example:
妻に話しかけたけど携帯に集中していて返事が雑。妻は心ここにあらずだった。
Meaning, I talked to my wife, but she was on the phone so she ignored me.
This idiom may not sound very funny, but the way “心ここにあらず” is said is an old way of saying that the heart is not present in the moment – it’s kind of like using shakespearean English as a joke in modern English as a joke. Using idioms like 心ここにあらず or any of the other idioms above can take your conversation to the next level!
The next set of idiom is a little less humorous, but still very useful!
[足がない]
The first idiom we will take a look at is “足がない”. This does not mean literally not having legs, but actually means that one doesn’t have a means of transportation.
足がない
To have no means of transportation
For example:
足がないので、一緒に乗せてもらえるとありがたい。
I don’t have my own transport, so it would be great if you could give me a ride.
[腹を割る]
The next idiom is “腹を割る”. “腹” means stomach and “割る” means to split – but this is not about getting a sick pack or splitting your stomach. This means talking with someone heart to heart, or to be very frank with someone.
腹を割る
To talk heart to heart, to be frank
One theory is that before human anatomy was fully understood, people believed that their heart was located around the stomach area. Therefore, this idiom has come to mean to talk heart to heart.
For example:
今日は腹を割って話そう！
Let’s talk heart to heart today!
“腹を割って話そう” is a very useful phrase to let Japanese people start being honest. Because of Japan’s culture of politeness, what people display in public may be different from their real feelings. For example, a bride’s father might ask his future son-in-law to talk honestly before the wedding by asking:
今日は腹を割って話そうじゃないか。
[相変わらず]
The next idiom is very commonly used in Japan: “相変わらず”.
相変わらず
The same as always
For example:
A: 最近どう？
A: What’s up?
B: 相変わらず。。
B: Nothing much…
[鼻で笑う]
The last idiom we will take a look at today is called “鼻で笑う”. This means to laugh about someone or to make fun of someone.
鼻で笑う
To laugh about someone, to laugh scornfully
For example:
あ！いま鼻で笑った?
Did you just make fun of me?!
That is all for today’s lesson. If you have any questions you can always clear them up by booking a lesson with one of our native Japanese tutors. See you next time!
| 膝が笑う | To have wobbly legs |
| 心臓に毛が生えた | To be brave, to have nerves of steel |
| ～に毛が生えただけ | ~ is only marginally better than before, ~ is more or less the same |
| 心ここにあらず | The mind is somewhere else |
| 足がない | To have no means of transportation |
| 腹を割る | To talk heart to heart, to be frank |
| 相変わらず | The same as always |
| 鼻で笑う | To laugh about someone, to laugh scornfully |
