Useful Japanese Idioms Using Body Parts
Japanese has many idioms using body parts. They enrich our conversations, but it’s common to misunderstand a phrase for its literal meaning when you are new to them.
A: Why are you still with him? You always fall for the bad boys. You should really break up with him. You deserve better.
B: あー、耳(みみ)が痛(いた)い
A: What? Do you have an ear infection?
B: …
However, some can take both the idiomatic and literal meaning so you’ll have to pay attention to the context of the sentence or conversation.
Have you heard any of the following idioms?
・頭(あたま)が固(かた)い
You have a hard head??
・顔(かお)から火(ひ)が出(で)る
Your face is on fire??
・鼻息(はないき)が荒(あら)い
Snorting??
・鼻(はな)が高(たか)い
Tall nose??
・耳(みみ)を疑(うたが)う
You question your ear??
・耳(みみ)が痛(いた)い
Your ear hurts??
In the video, you’ll learn their idiomatic meaning and how to use them in a sentence with sample phrases.
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