Complete Japanese Expression Guide - Mizue Sasaki

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      advantage /disadvantage

      MUSUKO:

      Otōsan, shōgi shiyō yo.

      CHICHIOYA:

      Omae to de wa, kochira no bu ga warusō da na.

      SON:

      Come on, Dad. Let's have a game of Japanese chess.

      FATHER:

      If I play with you, the odds are against me.

      Bu ga yoi indicates that a person is in a favorable position in situations where competition is involved—for example, games, sports, or the corporate ladder. Bu ga warui has the opposite meaning; that one is not in a favorable position. Other forms include kochira ni bu ga aru (our side has a better chance of success) and achira ni wa bu ga nai (the odds are against them).

      EXAMPLES

      1. Otōsan, shōgi nara boku ni bu ga arimasu yo,

       Dad, I think I can go one better than you when it comes to Japanese chess.

      2. Dōmo, sochira no bu ga warusō desu ne.

       It seems as if you are at a disadvantage.

      3. Hajime no uchi wa kochira ni bu ga attan' desu ga ne.

       Well, in the beginning our side was doing better.

      4. Itsu no ma ni bu ga waruku nattan' desu ka?

       How is it that our luck has turned against us?

      5. Shiai wa kore kara desu shi' mada mada kochira ni mo bu ga arimasu yo.

       The match has just started and we still have every possibility of winning.

      bunan

      acceptable, safe

      TSUMA:

      Ribingu rumū ni kono e, dō kashira?

      OTTO:

      Chotto hade-sugi da to omou kedo.

      TSUMA:

      Ja, mō chotto bunan na mono ni shimashō ka?

      WIFE:

      What do you think of this painting for the living room?

      HUSBAND:

      I think it's a bit too gaudy.

      WIFE:

      Well then, shall we pick something a little more subdued?

      Bunan describes something that is neither bad nor particularly good, but that is the safest. Nan means misfortune or difficulty, and the prefix bu negates the meaning of nan. Other uses of bu include buji (safely, without incident), burei (impoliteness), buaiso (brusqueness), and busho (indolence, laziness).

      EXAMPLES

      1. Kekkon suru nara, bunan na hito o erabinasai.

       If you are going to marry, choose a conventional partner.

      2. Anmari bunan sugiru no mo, tsumarimasen ne.

       Something too conservative becomes boring, doesn't it?

      3. Kinō wa bunan na hatsugen shika shinain' da ne,

       Every comment you make is just so innocuous!

      4. Sore ni kimenasai. Sono hō ga bunan da.

       Take that one. That would be safer.

      cha o nigosu

      deceive, evade, save appearances

      TOMODACHI 1:

      Kinō wa dēto dattan' deshō. Oishii mono, gochisō shite kureta?

      TOMODACHI 2:

      Sore ga nē, hanbāgā de o-cha o nigosarechatta.

      FRIEND 1:

      You went on a date yesterday, right? Did he buy you a good meal?

      FRIEND 2:

      He led me to believe that but all I got was a hamburger.

      Cha o nigosu, literally "to cloud the tea," means to make words, attitudes, or facial expressions vague and ambiguous so as to deceive someone. Kotoba o nigosu has the same meaning. Other idioms using cha are chabara mo ittoki (a cup of tea will satisfy one's hunger only for a short while) and chaban geki (slapstick comedy).

      EXAMPLES

      1. Sonna mono de o-cha o nigosu tsumori desu ka?

       Are you trying to evade the issue?

      2. Konna mono de, o-cha o nigosarechatta.

       I was taken in with something like this.

      3. Kēki de o-cha o nigosō nante kangaenaide ne.

       Don't think you can get out of it by buying me cake.

      4. Iya, o-cha o nigoshita wake ja arimasen yo.

       No, I'm not trying to avoid the issue.

      5. Shain-ryokō, yasui hoteru de o-cha o nigosu hōhō wa arimasen ka?

       Is there any way we can keep the company trip expenses down—like using a cheaper hotel?

      chinpun-kanpun

      incomprehensible, not understandable

      BUCHŌ:

      Kimi ashita shōgi o shi ni, uchi ni konai ka?

      BUKA:

      Zan'nen desu ga, watashi shōgi chinpun-kanpun nan' desu.

      DEPARTMENT CHIEF:

      Would you like to come to my place tomorrow for a game of Japanese chess?

      SUBORDINATE:

      I'm sorry but Japanese chess is all Greek to me.

      Chinpun-kanpun describes a word or thing that one does not understand at all. It is said that this expression came about when a person teasingly used it after having failed to understand the meaning of a Chinese word. Another theory suggests this word was an attempt to mimic a foreigner speaking. The shortened form is chinpunkan and is chiefly used in conversation.

      EXAMPLES

      1. Gaijin ni hanashi-kakerareta ga, chinpun-kanpun de wakaranakatta.

       A foreigner spoke to me but I couldn't make head nor tail of what he said.

      2. Watashi wa kottō no koto wa, mattaku chinpun-kanpun desu,

       I don't have an inkling when it comes to antiques.

      3. Kare no setsumei wa, watashi ni wa chinpun-kanpun da.

       His explanation was just gibberish to me.

      4. Konpyūtā no setsumeisho o yonda ga, marude chinpun-kanpun datta.

       I read the computer operating instructions, but it was all Greek to me.

      5. Watashi wa Supeingo wa chinpun-kanpun desu.

       Spanish is unintelligible to me.

      chōchin-mochi

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