Complete Japanese Expression Guide - Mizue Sasaki

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ne.

      KEISATSU:

      Ā, dosakusa ni magirete haittan' deshō ne.

      HOMEOWNER:

      A thief got into the house last night while we were having a party.

      POLICE OFFICER:

      Oh, I see. So he probably slipped in while everyone was distracted.

      Dosakusa ni magireru is used to describe taking advantage of a chaotic situation. In the Edo period, people who were caught during raids on gambling dens were sent to Sado Island to do forced labor. Using an inversion of the word Sado, the gamblers coined the phrase dosa o kū (kū literally means to eat) to refer to these sudden, chaotic raids. Over time this changed to the noun dosakusa which is also often used on its own to describe a confused situation.

      EXAMPLES

      1. Watashi wa dosakusa ni magirete, senjō o nigedashita.

       Taking advantage of the confusion, I fled from the battlefield.

      2. Kono dosakusa ni magirete, futari de dokoka ni ikimashō.

       Let's sneak out of here while everyone's distracted.

      3. Kare wa sekiyu-shokku no dosakusa ni magirete, ōmōke shita.

       He made a lot of money during the disorder caused by the oil shock.

      4. Tsuma to kekkon shita no wa, sengo no dosakusa no naka deshita.

       I married my wife in the midst of the postwar commotion.

      dotanba

      the last moment

      MUSUKO:

      Okāsan, boku konban tetsuya de benkyō shinakutcha. Ashita, shiken nan' da.

      HAHAOYA:

      Anata wa dōshite dotanba ni natte awaterun' deshō ne.

      SON:

      Mom, I'll have to stay up all night studying tonight. I have an exam tomorrow.

      MOTHER:

      Why is it that you leave everything to the last minute and then go into a panic?

      Dotan is made up of the kanji for earth (do) and platform (dan) and formerly referred to the place where decapitations were performed. From this dotanba has come to be used when describing a situation in which one has one's back to the wall—a time when something has to be taken care of.

      EXAMPLES

      1. Dotanba ni kite hanashiai ga okonaware, sensō wa kaihi sareta.

       Last-minute negotiations took place and war was averted.

      2. Jitai wa dō naru ka, dotanba ni naranai to wakarimasen.

       We can't tell how things will turn out until the last moment.

      3. Iyoiyo dotanba desu.

       The long-awaited moment has finally arrived.

      4. Dotanba ni natte, awatenaide kudasai.

       When you reach that critical moment, don't lose your cool.

      5. Dōshite shiai mae no dotanba made, renshū shinakatta no desu ka?

       Why didn't you do any training until the match was almost upon you?

      en no shita no chikara-mochi

      person whose work is not recognized

      BUCHŌ:

      Kimura-kun no shigoto-buri wa dō dai?

      BUKA:

      Yoku yatte kuremasu. Wareware no ka no en no shita no chikaramochi desu yo.

      DEPARTMENT CHIEF:

      How is Kimura getting on with his work?

      SUBORDINATE:

      He's doing well. He does all the thankless tasks in our department.

      En no shita is the space beneath the veranda or floor and the ground, and chikara-mochi refers to a strong person. As this space under the porch is hidden from sight, so is the work of an en no shita no chikara-mochi, a person who bears continuous hardship for the benefit of others, unnoticed by the outside world.

      EXAMPLES

      1. Kare wa kono ka no en no shita no chikara-mochi da.

       He does the unrewarded drudgery work in this department.

      2. Haha wa wagaya no en no shita no chikara-mochi da.

       Mom is the one who carries out the thankless tasks in our house.

      3. Seijika no hisho wa itsumo en no shita no chikara-mochi desu.

       Politicians' private secretaries always do the unappreciated jobs behind the scenes.

      4. Anata wa en no shita no chikara-mochi de mo ii no desu ka?

       Are you content even though your efforts go unappreciated?

      5. En no shita no chikara-mochi de iru no wa totemo muzukashii.

       It's very difficult to carry on when one's efforts go unrecognized.

      engi ga ii/warui

      good/bad omen

      TSUMA:

      O-mikuji o hiitara, daikichi ga atattan' desu yo.

      OTTO:

      Sore wa engi ga ii ne. Kitto ii koto ga aru yo.

      WIFE:

      When I drew my fortune-telling lot, it said I would be very lucky.

      HUSBAND:

      That's a good omen. Something good is sure to happen.

      Engi ga ii refers to something that foretells good fortune. An engi is an omen. The opposite of engi ga ii is engi ga warui.

      EXAMPLES

      1. Kekkon-shiki wa engi no ii hi ni kimemashō.

       Let's decide on a lucky day for our wedding.

      2. Engi o katsugu nante, furui desu yo.

       You're so old-fashioned, believing in omens.

      3. O-iwai no supiichi de, engi no warui koto wa iwanaide ne.

       Don't say anything about bad luck in your congratulatory speech.

      4. Obāsan wa engi o katsugi-sugi desu yo.

       Grandma carries things too far with her superstitions.

      5. O-shōgatsu ga tanjōbi to wa, engi ga ii desu ne.

       New Year's Day? What a lucky day to have your birthday.

      etai ga shirenai

      mysterious-looking, unfamiliar

      MUSUME:

      Okāsan, kono o-ryōri tabete minai?

      HAHAOYA:

      Kore wa nan' na no? Etai no shirenai

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