1.
eyelid
The movable fold of skin that covers and protects the eye.
瞼が重くなってきた。
My eyelids are getting heavy.
瞼を閉じて深呼吸した。
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
一重瞼と二重瞼、どちらが好きですか。
Which do you prefer, single or double eyelids?
花粉症で瞼が腫れてしまった。
My eyelids swelled up because of hay fever.
疲れて瞼が重くなり、気がつくと電車の中で眠っていた。
My eyelids grew heavy from tiredness, and before I knew it I had fallen asleep on the train.
瞼 (eyelid) is commonly written in hiragana as まぶた.
KANJI NOTE:
The kanji 瞼 is complex and often replaced with hiragana.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 瞼が重い (eyelids are heavy - sleepy)
- 瞼を閉じる (close one's eyes)
- 瞼を開く (open one's eyes)
- 一重瞼 (single eyelid - monolid)
- 二重瞼 (double eyelid)
CULTURAL NOTE:
In Japan, 一重 (single eyelid) vs 二重 (double eyelid) is a common topic in beauty discussions. Some people use tape or glue to create a double-eyelid crease.
IDIOM:
瞼に浮かぶ = to come to mind, to visualize (literally: to float before one's eyelids)