聖徳太子
しょうとくたいし [shoutoku taishi] – Prince Shoutoku (573-621) is a Japanese historical figure famous for his purported ability to comprehend many voices…
マメ知識
まめちしき [mame chishiki] – ‘knowledge beans’ is the Japanese equivalent of the word trivia–quaint facts about things. No, the fact doesn’t have to be about beans…
地獄耳
じごくみみ [jigoku mimi] – A person with ‘hell ears’ has a knack for hearing secrets–usually bad ones–that people don’t want to be heard.
耳胼胝
みみたこ [mimi tako] – Short for 耳に胼胝ができる= “to get calluses in one’s ears”, this word is useful when you’ve been told something too many times…
貧乏揺すり
びんぼうゆすり [binbou yusuri] – “The poor man’s shake.” This word refers to tapping your foot or shaking your legs unconsciously while sitting, like a…
てんこ盛り
てんこもり [tenko mori] – What’s bigger than an 大盛り (oomori : large serving)? Well, a 特盛り if you’re at Yoshinoya… But bigger than that? You want てんこ盛り!
腰巾着
こしぎんちゃく [koshiginchaku] – A “hip purse”. This word is often a metaphor for someone who constantly follows their superiors around, trying to win their favor.
伊達
だて [date] – Date was originally a proper name. Nowadays it’s more commonly used to mean “for show-off.” For example, 伊達眼鏡 [date megane] are glasses that…
割り勘
わりかん [warikan] – Short for 割前勘定 [warimae kanjou], Literally: “billing by divided-share”, this refers to dividing a restaurant/bar bill evenly among all members of a group.
More from Nihonshock…
