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足が地に着かない
あしがちにつかない
When one's mood is unsettled and floating from excitement or tension. It is also used for thinking or an attitude that lacks groundedness and steadiness. It is used as in 「うれしくて足が地に着かない」 (so happy that one's feet won't stay on the ground).
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足元を見る
あしもとをみる
To take advantage of another's weakness or disadvantageous position so as to act in one's own favor. It is used as in 「客の足元を見る」 (to take advantage of a customer's bind).
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足を洗う
あしをあらう
To quit an unsavory occupation or way of life and return to a decent way of living. It is used as in 「裏社会から足を洗う」 (to wash one's hands of the underworld).
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足をすくわれる
あしをすくわれる
To be caught at an unguarded moment or weak point and unexpectedly brought down. The original form is 「足をすくわれる」, and it is also said as 「足元をすくわれる」. It is used as in 「下位チームに足をすくわれる」 (to be tripped up by a bottom-ranked team).
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足を引っ張る
あしをひっぱる
To hinder and obstruct another's success or the progress of a matter. It is used as in 「味方の足を引っ張る」 (to be a drag on one's own teammates).
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頭打ちになる
あたまうちになる
When a matter rises no further, reaches its limit, and stops going up. It is used when growth or figures hit a ceiling at a certain level.
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頭が切れる
あたまがきれる
To be quick-witted, able to judge and handle matters sharply and accurately. It is used as in 「頭の切れる人物」 (a sharp-minded person).
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頭を抱える
あたまをかかえる
To not know what to do, worrying deeply and being utterly at a loss. It is used as in 「資金繰りに頭を抱える」 (to be at one's wits' end over cash flow).
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頭を悩ます
あたまをなやます
To agonize, thinking this way and that over some problem and not knowing what to do. It is used as in 「人手不足に頭を悩ます」 (to be troubled over a labor shortage).
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頭を捻る
あたまをひねる
To work hard at thinking in various ways in order to come up with a good idea. It is used as in 「打開策に頭を捻る」 (to rack one's brains for a way out).
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後の祭り
あとのまつり
When one has missed the right moment and it is too late to regret it now, likened to how, once a festival is over, no amount of preparation can make it in time. It is used when, having passed the time when one should have acted, nothing can be done about it.
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油を売る
あぶらをうる
To slack off in the middle of work by chatting idly and the like. It is said to derive from how, in the past, peddlers of hair oil would sell their oil while chatting at length with customers. It is used in scenes of slipping away from one's duties to kill time, or of idly dawdling on the way.
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油を絞る
あぶらをしぼる
To sternly interrogate and scold someone who has committed an error or failure. It is an expression likened to the action of pressing seeds to extract oil. It is mostly used from the scolder's standpoint, in scenes of reproaching the other thoroughly without giving them an escape, giving them a real dressing-down.
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網を張る
あみをはる
To make arrangements in advance and lie in wait here and there in order to catch a criminal or prey. It is used when one sets up lookouts or precautions all around so that the target cannot escape.
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息が合う
いきがあう
When two or more people do something together and their rhythm or breathing matches perfectly. It describes how, between a long-time partner or a close companion, their movements and timing fall into step even without exchanging words. It is often used in joint work, performance, or competition.
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息を殺す
いきをころす
To stay still and silent, stifling even the sound of one's breath so that the other person will not notice. It is used in scenes of hiding behind something so as not to be found, or of being unable to move from tension. It describes one's whole body tensed, trying not to make a voice or a sound.
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息を呑む
いきをのむ
To unwittingly hold one's breath out of surprise, emotion, or tension. It describes the reaction at the moment of facing a sight that captivates the eye or an event that grips the heart. It is used both when one freezes in fear and when one is overwhelmed by beauty.
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石橋を叩いて渡る
いしばしをたたいてわたる
To do everything with the utmost caution, piling care upon care, likened to tapping even a sturdy stone bridge to confirm it is safe before crossing. It describes an attitude of checking thoroughly just in case, cautious almost to the point of being excessively sure.
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急がば回れ
いそがばまわれ
A teaching that the more one is in a hurry, the better it is to choose a safe, sure route, even if roundabout, rather than a dangerous shortcut, since in the end one reaches the goal faster. It is used to advise that one should take the sure method rather than rush and fail.
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板につく
いたにつく
When, through accumulated experience, one's attitude or way of working becomes fitting and well-suited to that position or occupation, from the sense of an actor's art harmonizing with the stage (the boards). It describes a state attained not by intent but naturally as a result of seasoned experience, and is also how those around come to see it.
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板挟みになる
いたばさみになる
To stand between two opposing sides, unable to side with either, and be driven into a painful position. It is used when one is so caught between the two that one cannot move.
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一矢を報いる
いっしをむくいる
To strike back, even if only slightly, against an attack or criticism, from the sense of shooting one arrow back in return for an arrow fired at oneself. It is used when, though at a disadvantage, one manages to retaliate against the other party even a little.
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一線を画す
いっせんをかくす
To distinguish oneself clearly from others and set a definite boundary, from the sense of drawing a line to divide. By extension, it is also used to mean standing out so far above others as to be incomparable.
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意に介さない
いにかいさない
To not mind or worry about something in the least. It describes paying no heed at all to others' evaluations or the reactions of those around.
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井の中の蛙
いのなかのかわず
When one is confined to narrow knowledge or experience and does not know the wider world, deriving from the story of a frog in a well that does not know there is a vast ocean outside. It is used to admonish one who believes their own small world is all there is.
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雨後の筍
うごのたけのこ
When similar things appear one after another in a short span, likened to bamboo shoots sprouting in succession after rain. It describes how shops or businesses of the same kind crop up one after another, riding a fad or an opportunity. It is mostly a way of speaking that focuses on the sheer number, with a touch of mockery.
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後ろ髪を引かれる
うしろがみをひかれる
To feel reluctant and find it hard to leave a place, as if one's hair at the back of the head were being grabbed and pulled. It describes a lingering attachment that one cannot bring oneself to break off.
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馬の耳に念仏
うまのみみにねんぶつ
When no matter how one advises or counsels, the other person will not listen at all and there is no effect, likened to how reciting a sacred Buddhist prayer to a horse means nothing, for the horse cannot understand it. It is used when telling the other party something ends in vain.
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裏目に出る
うらめにでる
When something one does with good intentions brings a bad result, the opposite of what was expected. From the sense of a die turning up its reverse face, it refers to a calculation going awry and turning to one's disadvantage. It is used when a well-meant act backfires.
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雲泥の差
うんでいのさ
When there is a gulf as great as that between clouds and mud, between heaven and earth. It is used when two things differ so vastly that they cannot be compared.
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絵に描いた餅
えにかいたもち
When something, however splendid in appearance, is of no real use, likened to how a rice cake drawn in a picture is only to look at and cannot be eaten. It is used when a plan or ideal lacks reality and has no prospect of being realized.
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襟を正す
えりをただす
To correct one's attitude up to now, brace one's spirit, and tackle a matter in earnest, from the sense of straightening one's disheveled clothing. It is used when one rectifies a slackened frame of mind and shifts to a serious attitude.
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鬼に金棒
おににかなぼう
When something already strong gains added strength or an advantageous condition and so becomes all the more formidable, from the sense of an already strong ogre wielding an iron club as a weapon. It is used when the strong become even stronger.
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帯に短し襷に長し
おびにみじかしたすきにながし
When something is so middling that it is of no use for any purpose, from the sense that a cloth is too short to make a sash and too long to make a cord. 「襷」 (tasuki) is a cord slung across the body to hold up the sleeves of a kimono. It is used when something is neither one thing nor the other and suits no purpose.
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顔に泥を塗る
かおにどろをぬる
To damage another's honor or face and bring shame upon them. It is used as in 「親の顔に泥を塗る」 (to bring disgrace on one's parents).
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影が薄い
かげがうすい
A state of having little presence and drawing scant attention from those around. It speaks of a person or thing that leaves no impression even amid a crowd and does not stand out. It is sometimes also used to mean looking listless and lacking vitality.
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影を潜める
かげをひそめる
When something that had stood out until then no longer shows itself openly. From the sense of hiding oneself and not showing one's figure, it is used when a phenomenon, trend, or characteristic disappears from the surface and is no longer seen. It carries the nuance of dying down or cooling off.
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肩で風を切る
かたでかぜをきる
To walk in a proud, swaggering manner with one's shoulders thrown back. It is used as in 「出世して肩で風を切る」 (to strut about after getting promoted).
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肩の荷が下りる
かたのにがおりる
When a responsibility one had to bear or a heavy burden is gone, so that one becomes relieved. It is used as in 「子の独立で肩の荷が下りる」 (a weight off one's shoulders when the children become independent).
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肩身が狭い
かたみがせまい
To feel a sense of inferiority and awkwardness before society or those around one. It is used as in 「肩身の狭い思いをする」 (to feel small and ill at ease).
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肩を並べる
かたをならべる
To be equal in ability or standing, able to rival each other on a par. It is used as in 「強豪国と肩を並べる」 (to stand shoulder to shoulder with powerhouse nations).
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渦中の人
かちゅうのひと
A person right at the center of an incident or commotion, drawing the attention of the public. 「渦中」 (kachū) is the middle of a whirlpool, by extension the very midst of a turmoil. It speaks of a figure who has become a party to a dispute or scandal.
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河童の川流れ
かっぱのかわながれ
When even a master of a craft sometimes fails, from the story that even a kappa, an imaginary water-dwelling creature said to be an expert swimmer, is occasionally swept away by the river. 「河童」 (kappa) is an imaginary creature said to live in the water. It is used when one makes an unexpected slip at the very thing one excels in.
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気が重い
きがおもい
Describes a sinking, unmotivated feeling toward a situation in which one must do something. It refers to the state of mind when facing an unwanted task or an unappealing situation ahead. It expresses gloom about something yet to come, as in 「明日の会議のことを考えると気が重い」 (just thinking about tomorrow's meeting weighs on me).
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気が気でない
きがきでない
To be so worried that one cannot stay calm. It describes a restless, unsettled state of mind caused by being preoccupied with the result or course of events.
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気が遠くなる
きがとおくなる
Refers to one's consciousness fading and growing distant. Originally it describes a state of nearly fainting, but it is also commonly used figuratively to mean "being stunned in the face of an enormous amount or length of time." It is used in situations of being overwhelmed by a scale far removed from reality, as in 「気が遠くなるような作業」 (a dizzyingly enormous task).
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気が抜ける
きがぬける
Refers to one's tension relaxing so that the concentration or drive that had been taut is lost. It describes the state of feeling relieved and unable to muster energy after finishing a major goal. It also describes carbonated drinks or beer going flat as the bubbles and flavor escape, leaving the taste weak.
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気が引ける
きがひける
Describes a feeling of reserve or hesitation toward another person that makes it hard to act freely. It refers to a state in which one feels indebted or apologetic and so cannot behave with full confidence. It is often used in situations where one is conscious of owing something to the other party, as in 「ご馳走になってばかりで気が引ける」 (I feel awkward because you keep treating me to meals).
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気が紛れる
きがまぎれる
When one's attention turns to something else, so that painful feelings or boredom are temporarily eased. It refers to a state in which the worry itself does not disappear, but one's mood lightens while attention is shifted elsewhere. It is used as in 「友人と話していると気が紛れる」 (talking with friends takes my mind off things).
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気が滅入る
きがめいる
When one's mood sinks and becomes gloomy. It describes a state in which the heart cannot brighten because unpleasant things or dark circumstances continue. It is used in situations where one's spirits decline, as in 「悪い知らせばかりで気が滅入る」 (nothing but bad news leaves me depressed).
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