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Japanese Idioms
The Japanese language is filled with idioms of all sorts, from classical references from ancient Chinese to modern colloquialisms used by college students and young salaryman. Whether you are traveling to Japan for fun or on business, or are living there, you'll find idioms indispensible to understanding and using the daily language. Browse below to find the ones you want or simply explore the many possible ways to express yourself in Japanese.
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ぴかぴか
[ぴかぴか, pika pika] sparkling, glistening, shining
ぴかぴか十八歳
[ぴかぴかじゅうはっさい, pika-pika juuhassai] sweet 16 (lit.: shining 18; used only for girls)
ぴかぴかする
[ぴかぴかする, pika pika suru] twinkle; sparkle
光を当てる
[ひかりをあてる, hikari o ateru] shed light on; cast light on
引きこもり
[ひきこもり, hikikomori] withdrawal into oneself
膝栗毛
[ひざくりげ, hiza kurige] hike, walking trip
久々
[ひさびさ, hisabisa] it's been a while; long time, no see
膝を進める
[ひざをすすめる, hiza o susumeru] come nearer; draw closer
膝を交えて語る
[ひざをまじえてかたる, hiza o majiete kataru] have a heart-to-heart talk
美人と言うも皮一枚
[びじんというもかわいちまい, bijin to iu mo kawa ichimai] beauty is but skin deep
左団扇で暮らす
[ひだりうちわでくらす, hidari-uchiwa de kurasu] live well; live the good life
一足早い
[ひとあしはやい, hito-ashi-hayai] early, beforehand
一息つく
[ひといきつく, hito-iki-tsuku] take a breath of relief
ひどい目に合う
[ひどいめにあう, hidoi me ni au] have a horrible experience; go through the mill
人並みの
[ひとなみの, hitonami no] normal, standard, typical
ひねりがない
[ひねりがない, hineri ga nai] not very clever
響きがいい
[ひびきがいい, hibiki ga ii] sounds good; a nice ring
暇を出す
[ひまをだす, hima o dasu] send away; fire
百万手を使う
[ひゃくまんてをつかう, hyakuman te o tsukau] try everything
ピントくる
[ぴんとくる, pinto kuru] get a feel for
ピント外れ
[ぴんとはずれ, pinto hazure] spacey; out of focus; slightly senile