Complete Japanese Expression Guide - Mizue Sasaki

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Kare ni aizuchi o utaseru to wa, kimi mo sugoi ne.

       It really is impressive how you are able to get him to respond.

      akaji ni naru

      be in the red

      OTTO:

      Kozukai, mō sukoshi agete kurenai ka?

      TSUMA:

      Ie no rōn ya kyōikuhi ga kasande, maitsuki akaji na no. Totemo muri yo.

      HUSBAND:

      Can't you give me a little more pocket money?

      WIFE:

      With the way the house loan and school expenses have been mounting up, we're in the red every month. There's just no way.

      Akaji ni naru means to be in the red; in other words, when one's expenses are more than one's earnings. The expression comes from the practice of filling in the deficit column in account books with a red pen.

      EXAMPLES

      1. Maitsuki akaji na node, tsuma mo pāto de hataraku koto ni shita.

       Since we're in the red every month, my wife began a part-time job.

      2. Kono mama uriage ga ochikomu to, akaji ni naru.

       If sales continue to go down like this, we'll end up in the red.

      3. Kono mise wa hanjō shite iru yō de mo, akaji o kakaete imasu.

       This store may appear to be prospering, but actually it's in the red.

      4. Kokka yosan ga akaji no kuni ga oi.

       Many countries have a budget deficit.

      5. Hoikuen no akaji o bazā de oginau.

       The day-care center holds bazaars to make up for its losses.

      amaku miru

      think little of, not take seriously

      DŌRYŌ 1:

      Ano kaisha no saikin no uriage, sugoi desu ne.

      DŌRYŌ 2:

      Sukoshi amaku mite ita kamo shiremasen ne. Uchi mo ganbaranai to...

      COLLEAGUE 1:

      That company's recent sales figures are impressive, aren't they?

      COLLEAGUE 2:

      Maybe we were underestimating them. We'd better get going ourselves.

      Amai has many meanings, including sweet, romantic, indulgent, and optimistic. Amaku miru means to think lightly of or not to take something seriously. Other forms are amaku mirareru (be taken too lightly) and amaku mite shimau (underestimate).

      EXAMPLES

      1. Kanojo o amari amaku mite wa ikenai.

       You'd better not underestimate her.

      2. A-sha ni zuibun amaku miraremashita ne,

       Company A doesn't think of us as serious competition at all.

      3. Onna da to omotte, amaku minaide kudasai.

       Don't underestimate me because I'm a woman.

      4. Shiken o amaku mita no ga shippai no gen' in desu yo.

       The reason you failed is that you didn't take the exam seriously.

      asameshi-mae

      a cinch, easy to do

      TSUMA:

      Kono nimotsu, suimasen kedo, todana ni shimatte. Anata nara, asameshi-mae deshō?

      OTTO:

      Ii yo. Shokuji no ato de, shimatte oku yo.

      WIFE:

      Could you put this luggage away in the closet, please? For you, its so easy.

      HUSBAND:

      Sure. I'll put them away right after I finish eating.

      Asameshi-mae means something that is a cinch or a piece of cake. Literally "before breakfast," the phrase implies that something requires little energy and can be done with hardly any effort.

      EXAMPLES

      1. Kare ni totte, Eibun no tegami o kaku no wa asameshi-mae da.

       It's a cinch for him to write a letter in English.

      2. Otto ni wa, katei no daiku-shigoto nado, asameshi-mae da.

       Taking care of the carpentry work around the house is a cinch for my husband.

      3. Kanojo ni totte, kyoshitsu nofuriiki o akaruku suru no wa asameshimae datta.

       It was easy for her to brighten up the classroom atmosphere.

      4. Nihon no keizai-ryoku nara, ano kuni o enjo suru no wa asameshi-mae desu.

       Providing support for that country is a simple matter considering Japan's economic might.

      ato no matsuri

      too late

      SEITO:

      Konna ni shiken ga muzukashiin' dattara, motto benkyō shite okeba yokatta.

      SENSEI:

      Ima kara itte mo, ato no matsuri da yo. Kondo ganbarinasai.

      STUDENT:

      If I had known that the exam was going to be this difficult, I would have studied harder.

      TEACHER:

      It's too late to say that now. You'd better try harder next time.

      Ato no matsuri, literally "after a festival," means being too late for something. This expression comes from going to the site of a festival after it's over and seeing the floats and stalls that have served then-purpose and no longer have any use.

      EXAMPLES

      1. Kare ni ima sara ayamatte mo, ato no matsuri deshō ne.

       Even if I apologize to him now, probably the damage is already done.

      2. Ima goro, shōbōsha ga kite mo, ato no matsuri desu yo.

       Even if the fire engines came now, it's too late for them to be of any help.

      3. Saishūkai ni niten ireta ga, ato no matsuri datta.

       We scored two points in the last inning, but it was too late.

      4. Ima sugu ni, taisaku o kangaenai to, ato no matsuri ni narimasu yo.

       If we don't think of a countermeasure right now, we'll have missed our chance to do anything.

      5. Kyanseru shita kippu o kai-modosō to shita ga, ato no matsuri datta.

       I tried to repurchase the cancelled ticket, but it was too late.

      atogama ni suwaru

      succeed

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