Japanese idioms are like little puzzles-the words look familiar, but the meaning is something else entirely. This list gathers around 120 common expressions that pop up in dramas, conversations, and even your friend’s text messages. No ancient proverbs that nobody uses, just practical idioms that add color to your everyday Japanese.
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| Expression | Reading | Meaning | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 腹が据わる | はらがすわる | to be calm and resolute; to have guts | 彼は大事な発表の前に腹が据わっているように見えました。 | He seemed calm and collected before the important presentation. |
| 腹が立つ | はらがたつ | get angry | そんな言い方をされると腹が立つ。 | It makes me angry when someone talks to me like that. |
| 腹が黒い | はらがくろい | sly; having a black heart | あの人は腹が黒いと感じます。 | I feel that person is sly. |
| 腹の虫が治まらない | はらのむしがおさまらない | to be unable to calm one's anger | あの言い方には腹の虫が治まらない。 | I can't calm down after the way he said that. |
| 腹を割る | はらをわる | speak frankly; open up | 二人で腹を割って話しました。 | The two of us spoke frankly. |
| 腹を括る | はらをくくる | to brace oneself; to make up one's mind | 失敗を覚悟して、腹を括った。 | I braced myself, prepared for failure. |
| 腹を決める | はらをきめる | to make up one's mind; to resolve | 彼は留学することに腹を決めた。 | He made up his mind to study abroad. |
| 自業自得 | じごうじとく | you brought it on yourself | 宿題をしなかったから怒られた。自業自得だね。 | I didn't do my homework and got scolded. It's my own fault. |
| 舌を巻く | したをまく | to be astonished; to be impressed | 彼の記憶力には舌を巻いた。 | I was amazed by his memory. |
| 起死回生 | きしかいせい | a dramatic comeback from a desperate situation | 最後のシュートで起死回生の逆転勝利をした。 | With the last shot, we achieved a come-from-behind victory, a revival from the brink. |
| 足が出る | あしがでる | go over budget; run a deficit | 旅行で予算より足が出ました。 | The trip went over budget. |
| 足が棒になる | あしがぼうになる | to be exhausted from walking | 一日中歩いて足が棒になった。 | I walked all day and my legs were exhausted. |
| 足が遠のく | あしがとおのく | stop going; drift away from visiting | 忙しくて、あの店に足が遠のいています。 | I've stopped going to that shop because I'm busy. |
| 足を引っ張る | あしをひっぱる | hold someone back; hinder | 遅刻すると、みんなの足を引っ張ります。 | If you are late, you will hold everyone back. |
| 足を止める | あしをとめる | to stop walking; to pause | 店の前で足を止めた。 | I stopped walking in front of the store. |
| 足を洗う | あしをあらう | to quit a bad habit or shady business | 彼は悪い仲間と足を洗い、まじめに働き始めました。 | He turned his back on his bad crowd and started working honestly. |
| 足を運ぶ | あしをはこぶ | to go out of one's way to visit | わざわざ店まで足を運んだ。 | I went out of my way to visit the store. |
| 足元を見る | あしもとをみる | to take advantage of someone's weakness | 彼は私が急いでいるのを見て、足元を見て高い値段を言った。 | He saw I was in a hurry, so he took advantage of my weakness and named a high price. |
| 釘を刺す | くぎをさす | to warn firmly; to put someone on notice | 友達に遅刻しないように釘を刺した。 | I warned my friend not to be late. |
| 頭が上がらない | あたまがあがらない | can't hold one's head up; feel indebted or inferior | 私は先生には頭が上がりません。 | I feel indebted to my teacher and can't really hold my head up. |
| 頭が切れる | あたまがきれる | sharp-minded; very clever | 彼は頭が切れるので、すぐに問題を解決します。 | He is very sharp-minded, so he solves problems quickly. |
| 頭に来る | あたまにくる | to get angry; to be irritated | あの言い方には頭に来た。 | I got angry at the way he said that. |
| 頭を下げる | あたまをさげる | to bow; to apologize humbly | 彼は私に深く頭を下げた。 | He bowed deeply to me. |
| 頭を冷やす | あたまをひやす | to calm down and think clearly | 少し頭を冷やしてから話そう。 | Let's calm down and talk after thinking clearly. |
| 頭を抱える | あたまをかかえる | to be at a loss; to be worried | 問題が多くて、頭を抱えています。 | There are so many problems, I'm at my wit's end. |
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