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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.
あ
い
う
え
お
か
き
く
け
こ
さ
し
す
せ
そ
た
ち
つ
て
と
な
に
ぬ
ね
の
は
ひ
ふ
へ
ほ
ま
み
む
め
も
や
ゆ
よ
ら
り
る
れ
ろ
わ
いい顔しい
[いいかおしい,
iikaoshii]
someone who wants to be everyone’s friend
息を引き取る
[いきをひきとる,
iki o hikitoru]
die; draw one’s last breath; breathe one’s final breath
以心伝心
[いしんでんしん,
ishin denshin]
tacit understanding
いたちごっこ
[いたちごっこ,
itachi gokko]
vicious circle, vicious cycle
鼬の最後っ屁
[いたちのさいごっぺ,
itachi no saigoppe]
a final defense when one is cornered or otherwise out of options
(lit.: the last fart of a weasel)
いたちの最後屁
[いたちのさいごべ,
itachi no saigobe]
a last resort
(lit.: the last fart of a weasel)
一概に言えない
[いちがいにいえない,
ichigai ni ienai]
cannot say for certain
一から
[いちから,
ichi kara]
from the start;, from the beginning
一段落
[いちだんらく,
ichidanraku]
complete the first stage
一日も早く
[いちにちもはやく,
ichi-nichi mo hayaku]
rapidly, fast, soon
一人前になる
[いちにんまえになる,
ichininmae ni naru]
become an adult; come of age; stand on one’s own
一命を取りとめる
[いちめいをとりとめる,
ichimei o toritomeru]
escape death; pull through
一網打尽
[いちもうだじん,
ichimon dajin]
make a wholesale/summary arrest; round up
いちゃもんをつける
[いちゃもんをつける,
ichamon o tsukeru]
pick a fight; niggle; find fault; needle
一家の面目となる
[いっかのめんぼくとなる,
ikka no menboku to naru]
be a credit to one’s family; bring honor to one’s house
一喜一憂
[いっきいちゆう,
ikki ichuu]
be glad and sad by turns; be unable to put one’s mind at ease
一挙手一投足
[いっきょしゅいっとうそく,
ikkyoshu ittousoku]
a slight effort; a small amount of work
一件落着
[いっけんらくちゃく,
ikken rakuchaku]
that is that; that takes care of that
一刻も早く
[いっこくもはやく,
ikkoku mo hayaku]
as quickly as possible, as soon as possible
一生懸命
[いっしょうけんめい,
isshou kenmei]
with all one’s might, with a great effort; diligently
一心不乱
[いっしんふらん,
isshin furan]
single-mindedly
いつの間にか
[いつのまにか,
itsu no ma ni ka]
before one becomes aware of
一般参賀
[いっぱんさんが,
ippan sanga]
open visitation of the Imperal Palace during Shogatsu
一匹の狼
[いっぴきのおおかみ,
ippiki no ookami]
lone wolf
一服
[いっぷく,
ippuku]
a rest, a break
一方では
[いっぽうでは,
ippou dewa]
on the one hand
一本槍
[いっぽんやり,
ippon yari]
one great effort; one final push
糸を引く
[いとをひく,
ito o hiku]
control; manipulate
犬と猿の仲
[いぬとさるのなか,
inu to saru no naka]
be on bad terms; get along like cats and dogs (lit. dog and monkey relationship)
犬と猫の仲
[いぬとねこのなか,
inu to neko no naka]
be on bad terms; get along like cats and dogs
いやでも応でも
[いやでもおうでも,
iya demo ou demo]
whether one wants to or not
いらいら
[いらいら,
ira ira]
angrily, fuming mad, hopping mad
色々な
[いろいろな,
iro iro na]
various, many different
陰隠滅滅
[いんいんめつめつ,
inin metsumetsu]
gloomy and depressing