The Body as a Map of Feelings
Every language uses the body to talk about feelings and character โ English has cold feet, a big mouth, and a heart of gold. Japanese does this on an unusually large scale. Anger rises in the belly, pride lifts the nose, and social connections are measured by the width of a face. Learning a few dozen of these ๆ ฃ็จๅฅ (idioms) will make everyday conversation, newspapers, and drama dialogue far easier to follow, and using them makes your Japanese sound natural rather than translated.
The idioms below are grouped by body part, with a literal reading where it helps the image stick. Each links to its own dictionary entry with examples.
้ ญ: Head
The head is the seat of thinking, temper, and status.
- ้ ญใซๆฅใ โ to get angry (literally: it comes to the head)
- ้ ญใไธใใ โ to bow; to apologize or ask humbly
- ้ ญใๅบใ โ stubborn, inflexible (a hard head)
- ้ ญใไธใใใชใ โ to be unable to hold one's head up before someone, out of debt or respect
้ก: Face
The face stands for one's public self and reputation.
- ้กใๅบใ โ well connected, knowing many people (a wide face)
- ้กใๅบใ โ to show up, to put in an appearance
- ้กใๅฉใ โ to have influence; to be able to pull strings
็ฎ: Eyes
- ็ฎใใชใ โ to have a weakness for something (็ใใใฎใซ็ฎใใชใ โ to love sweets)
- ็ฎใ้ใ โ to look through, to skim
- ็ฎใๅใ โ to be dizzy; to be frantically busy
- ็ฎใไธธใใใ โ to be wide-eyed with surprise
- ็ฎใ้ขใใชใ โ to be unable to take one's eyes off something
่ณ: Ears
- ่ณใ็ใ โ (criticism) hits home (the ears hurt)
- ่ณใๅพใใ โ to lend an ear, to listen carefully
- ่ณใซใใ โ to happen to hear
- ่ณใ้ ใ โ hard of hearing
้ผป: Nose
- ้ผปใ้ซใ โ proud (a high nose)
- ้ผปใง็ฌใ โ to sneer, to laugh through the nose
ๅฃ: Mouth
Most mouth idioms are about talking โ how much, how carelessly, and to whom.
- ๅฃใๅ ใ โ tight-lipped, discreet
- ๅฃใ่ปฝใ โ loose-lipped, unable to keep a secret
- ๅฃใๆปใ โ to let something slip
- ๅฃใๆชใ โ sharp-tongued
- ๅฃใๆใ โ to butt into a conversation
- ๅฃใซๅใ โ (food) to suit one's taste
ๆญฏ: Teeth
- ๆญฏใ็ซใใชใ โ to be no match for; too hard to handle (the teeth cannot bite it)
- ๆญฏใ้ฃใใใฐใ โ to grit one's teeth and endure
้ฆ: Neck
- ้ฆใซใชใ โ to be fired
- ้ฆใ้ทใใใ โ to wait eagerly (stretching the neck to look)
- ้ฆใ็ธฆใซๆฏใ โ to nod yes, to agree
- ้ฆใๆจชใซๆฏใ โ to shake one's head, to refuse
่ฉ: Shoulders
Shoulders carry burdens and take sides.
- ่ฉใๆใค โ to side with, to take someone's part
- ่ฉใฎ่ทใไธใใ โ to feel a weight lifted from one's shoulders
- ่ฉใไธฆในใ โ to stand shoulder to shoulder, to be on a par with
- ่ฉ่บซใ็ญใ โ to feel small, to feel out of place
่ธ: Chest
The chest holds emotion โ what English puts in the heart.
- ่ธใๅผตใ โ to be proud, to hold one's head high
- ่ธใ็ใ โ to feel heartache
- ่ธใใใฃใฑใ โ to be overcome with emotion (the chest is full)
่ น: Belly
The belly is the seat of anger and of one's true intentions.
- ่ นใ็ซใค โ to get angry (the belly rises)
- ่ นใ็ซใฆใ โ to lose one's temper, to take offense
- ่ นใๅฒใ โ to speak frankly, to open up
- ่ นๅ ซๅ็ฎ โ eating until eighty percent full
- ่ น้ปใ โ scheming, black-hearted
ๆ: Hands
ๆ means both "hand" and "arm," and its idioms cover work, help, and effort.
- ๆใ่ฒธใ โ to lend a hand
- ๆใ่ถณใใชใ โ to be short-handed
- ๆใๆใ โ to cut corners
- ๆใ็ฉบใ โ to become free, to have a moment
- ๆใ้ขใใชใ โ to be tied up, unable to leave what one is doing
- ๆใ็ผใ โ to have trouble with, to find someone a handful
- ๆใซ่ฒ ใใชใ โ beyond one's control
- ๆใซๅ ฅใใ โ to obtain, to get hold of
- ๆใใใใ โ to require a lot of care or effort
่ : Arms
In idioms the arm means skill.
- ่ ใ็ฃจใ โ to hone one's skills
- ่ ใๆฏใใ โ to show off one's skill (often in cooking)
- ่ ๅ โ skill, ability (a noun built on the same image)
่ถณ: Legs and Feet
- ่ถณใๅผใฃๅผตใ โ to hold someone back, to drag someone down
- ่ถณใๅบใ โ to go over budget (the legs stick out of the blanket)
- ่ถณใ้ใถ โ to go somewhere in person, to make the trip
- ่ถณใๆดใ โ to wash one's hands of, to quit a bad line of work
่ ฐ: Hips and Lower Back
- ่ ฐใไฝใ โ humble, unassuming (low hips, as in a deep bow)
- ่ ฐใๆฎใใ โ to settle down to a task, to commit seriously
่, ๅ, ้ชจ: Tongue, Throat, Bones
- ่ใๅทปใ โ to be amazed, to marvel
- ๅใใๆใๅบใ โ to want something desperately (a hand reaches out of the throat)
- ้ชจใๆใ โ to take pains, to go to great trouble for someone
- ้ชจใๆใใ โ to be hard work, to be laborious
How to Use Them
These idioms are ordinary phrases grammatically, so the verb or adjective at the end conjugates as usual: ่ นใ็ซใฃใ (I got angry), ่ นใ็ซใฆใฆใใ (is angry), ็ฎใๅใใปใฉๅฟใใ (busy enough to make your head spin). They can also modify nouns: ้กใๅบใไบบ (a well-connected person), ๅฃใฎๅ ใๅ้ (a discreet friend).
The particle is part of the idiom and cannot be changed, and neither can the words: ่ นใ็ซใค does not become ใ่ นใ็ซใค, and ้กใๅบใ does not become ้กใๅคงใใ. Many of these phrases also keep their literal meaning โ ็ฎใๅใ can describe real dizziness, and ๆใ้ขใใชใ can mean your hands are literally full โ so let the context decide.
Tips for Learners
- Learn the image, not just the translation. "The belly rises," "the nose is high," and "a hand reaches out of the throat" are easier to remember than abstract glosses, and they make the meaning transparent.
- Keep the particle attached. Memorize ่ฉใๆใค as one unit; ่ฉใๆใค means nothing.
- Start with the ones you will meet daily. ้กใๅบใ, ๆใ้ขใใชใ, ๅฃใซๅใ, ่ นใ็ซใค, and ้ฆใซใชใ appear constantly in conversation and drama.
- Notice the cultural map. Anger and honesty live in the belly, pride in the nose and chest, and reputation in the face. Once you see the pattern, unfamiliar idioms become guessable.
- Follow the links. Every idiom above has an entry with example sentences and notes on register.