nihonshock » Vocabulary Bank

醍醐味

Lloyd Vincent — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 17:12:39 +0000

だいごみ [daigomi] – This word refers to the most interesting/pleasurable/thrilling thing in some category.

The word 醍醐 comes from Buddhist traditions and refers to the highest ranking of purified milk. Though the usage is different and broader in Japanese, the idea is similar to how we say “the cream of the crop” in English.

これぞ人間の醍醐味！
kore zo ningen no daigomi!

“THIS is why it’s great to be a human!”
(exclamation after some really awesome experience)

別腹

Lloyd Vincent — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 16:53:02 +0000

べつばら [betsubara] is your “separate stomach.” Specifically, it’s the (imaginary) one where you always seem to have room for dessert even though you’re full from a big dinner.

殺風景

Lloyd Vincent — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:38:28 +0000

さっぷうけい [sappuukei] – A bland or uninspiring environment. 風景 [fuukei] is the word for a scene or view of somewhere. In front of it we add the kanji 殺, which usually means “to kill”, but in this word means something more like “to dull” or “to remove”.

Just take a look at the Google.co.jp Image Search results for 殺風景 and you’ll get the idea.

夏バテ

Lloyd Vincent — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:11:26 +0000

なつばて [natsubate] – Something about the 38℃ days just makes you tired, you know. In Japanese, that fatigue is called 夏バテ.

バテ is derived from （疲れ）果てる [(tukare)-hateru] which means “to become completely exhausted.” 夏 [natsu] means “summer.”

熱中症 [necchuushou] or “Hyperthermia” is the blanket term that refers to more serious heat-related ailments like heat stroke, heat cramps and real heat exhaustion.

Drink lots of water and if you’re up to it, try some eel.

手品

Lloyd Vincent — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:05:43 +0000

てじな [tejina] – ‘Hand’ (手) plus ‘wares’ (品) gives us the Japanese word for sleight-of-hand. The word 奇術 [kijutsu] is similar to ‘illusion’ and is typically used for larger-scale magic tricks. 魔術 [majutsu] (‘magic’) is a bigger word still, because it can also refer to mystical spell casting in addition to performance magic.

Older Japanese words include 手妻 [tezuma] and 品玉 [shinadama].

Too much to remember? Don’t worry, the Japanese understand マジック [majikku], which is equivalent in meaning to the broadly-defined 魔術.

Bonus

Words for magician, based on the words explained above.

手品師 [tejinashi]
奇術師 [kijutsushi]
魔法使い [mahouzukai]
マジシャン [majishan]

天啓

Lloyd Vincent — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:04:49 +0000

てんけい [tenkei] – A divine revelation.

Not simply messages from God (which are actually pretty uncommon, I hear), this word’s extended usage makes it also useful for expressing those “Eureka!” moments when some great idea occurs to you.

Note: usually used in conjunction with the verb 得る [eru] (to obtain)

天啓を得る
to have a revelation

悪阻

Lloyd Vincent — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:01:05 +0000

つわり [tsuwari] – This ominous combination of kanji (evil 悪 and obstruction 阻) gives us the word for morning sickness (the early pregnancy symptom).

Note: it can also be read おそ [oso] using the usual readings for the kanji.

腹癒せ

Lloyd Vincent — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:01:14 +0000

はらいせ [haraise] – Literally, “soothing the stomach”. This expression refers to taking your anger out on something. In a strict definition, it means to direct your anger toward something different or unrelated to the source of the anger, but it is also frequently used to describe actions taken in retaliation or to spite someone.

Note: 癒 is often left just as the hiragana い for difficulty reasons.

ふられた腹いせに噂を流す
To spread rumors (about someone) in retaliation for being dumped.

御の字

Lloyd Vincent — Fri, 28 May 2010 15:01:23 +0000

おんのじ [on no ji] – This phrase describes something you’re so grateful for that it makes you want to use the honorific character 御. In other words, something that means a lot to you.

It is used sarcastically a lot, to describe being grateful for something even though there’s not much to be grateful for.

The word was originally part of the Edo prostitute dialect, but don’t worry; people won’t think you sound like a prostitute just because you use this word.

10個売れれば御の字の状態
at the point where it’d be satisfying (just) to sell 10

土壇場

Lloyd Vincent — Thu, 27 May 2010 15:01:18 +0000

どたんば [dotanba] – Means, “at the last moment” or “in a very dire situation.”

In the Edo period, criminals sentenced to death by decapitation were made to lie down on an earthen (土) platform (壇) to for their execution. The modern meaning is derived from this image, but fortunately it hasn’t retained the grotesque overtones.

土壇場で逆転勝利を収める
ｔo capture a come-from-behind victory at the very end

ドタキャン [dotakyan], a popular expression based on this word is a shortening of the phrase 土壇場でキャンセル, “to cancel (plans to meet someone) at the last minute.”