Body and fitness
Collocations, Stage 4chunk 25 of 25Describing people
What someone's body can do: see, run, play sport, keep going; often said about yourself in the negative (me warui, tairyoku nai).
- me ga waruihave poor eyesight
- ashi ga hayaibe a fast runner
- undou shinkei ga iibe athletic
- tairyoku ga aruhave stamina, be fit
Mix-ups English adjectives (short-sighted, fast, athletic, fit) all become noun + ga + word: the eyes are bad, the legs are fast, the motor nerves are good, the stamina is there. Speed is hayai, coordination is ii, and stamina takes aru/nai, not ii.
me ga warui
polite me ga warui desuhave poor eyesight
目が悪い めがわるい 目が悪いです
adjectivewarui 悪いwarui: bad, in poor conditiontypical <1% of me
trap Not warui me o motteru ('have bad eyes'): Japanese makes the eyes the subject, me ga warui. English 'short-sighted' has no everyday one-word match either: kinshi and shiryoku ga warui are the terms you hear at eye exams. 'My eyes got worse' is me ga waruku natta, not warui ni natta.
Said about yourself to explain glasses or squinting: me warui kara... Casual speech drops ga. 'My eyes got worse' is me ga waruku natta.
me warui kara, megane nai to nanimo mienai n da.
My eyesight's bad, so I can't see a thing without my glasses.
目悪いから、メガネないと何も見えないんだ。
me ga warui node, megane ga nai to nanimo mienai n desu.
My eyesight is poor, so I can't see anything without glasses.
目が悪いので、メガネがないと何も見えないんです。
The opposite, me ga ii, means good eyesight. 'Has a good eye' (for people or things) is miru me ga aru.
Same adjective: mimi (hearing), koshi (lower back), kaoiro (complexion)Learn alongside: sutairu ga ii, atama ga ii, sensu ga ii, seikaku ga ii, seikaku ga warui, kanji ga ii, ii fun'iki, hyouban ga ii, seiseki ga iiMain list: warui (Stage 1), -ku naru / -ni naru (Stage 4)
ashi ga hayai
polite ashi ga hayai desube a fast runner
足が速い あしがはやい 足が速いです
adjectivehayai 速いhayai: fast; the same word also means earlytypical 2% of ashi
Said about kids, classmates and athletes: ano ko, ashi hayai ne, often with ga dropped. Japanese puts the speed in the legs, ashi ga hayai; hashiru no ga hayai also works. The opposite is ashi ga osoi (a slow runner).
ano ko, kurasu de ichiban ashi hayai n da.
That kid's the fastest runner in the class.
あの子、クラスで一番足速いんだ。
ano ko wa kurasu de ichiban ashi ga hayai n desu.
That child is the fastest runner in the class.
あの子はクラスで一番足が速いんです。
ashi ga hayai also means food spoils fast (namamono wa ashi ga hayai).
Same adjective: shigoto (shigoto ga hayai: a fast worker), henji (henji ga hayai: quick to reply)Learn alongside: undou shinkei ga ii, tairyoku ga aruMain list: hayai (Stage 3), osoi (Stage 3)
undou shinkei ga ii
polite undou shinkei ga ii desube athletic
運動神経がいい うんどうしんけいがいい 運動神経がいいです
adjectiveii いいii: good
trap Not asurechikku (in Japanese that's an obstacle-course playground): say undou shinkei ga ii. supootsu ga tokui and undou ga dekiru (good at sports) are also natural.
The everyday 'athletic, coordinated': ano hito, undou shinkei ii yo ne, with ga dropped. The opposite, undou shinkei ga nai, is common self-deprecation, and so is undou onchi (uncoordinated).
undou shinkei ii ne! nanka supootsu yatteta?
You're athletic! Did you use to play a sport?
運動神経いいね！なんかスポーツやってた？
undou shinkei ga ii desu ne! nanika supootsu yatteta n desu ka?
You're really athletic! Did you play a sport?
運動神経がいいですね！何かスポーツやってたんですか？
Literally 'motor nerves are good'.
Same adjective: hansha shinkei (reflexes), kan (kan ga ii: sharp intuition), ugoki (ugoki ga ii: move well)Learn alongside: ashi ga hayai, tairyoku ga aruMain list: ii (Stage 1)
tairyoku ga aru
polite tairyoku ga arimasuhave stamina, be fit
体力がある たいりょくがある 体力があります
verbaru あるaru: there is; have (things, qualities)typical 17% of tairyoku
trap 'Fit' isn't fitto (in Japanese that's how clothes fit). genki covers 'well, healthy' (mada genki = still going strong), but for stamina and being in shape use tairyoku: tairyoku aru / tairyoku nai.
Heard most in the negative, about age or being out of shape: mou tairyoku nai (I've got no stamina left), with ga dropped. Tairyoku aru ne praises someone who keeps going, and a drop in stamina is tairyoku ga ochita.
saikin undou shitenai kara, tairyoku nai n da.
I haven't been exercising lately, so I've got no stamina.
最近運動してないから、体力ないんだ。
saikin undou shite inai node, tairyoku ga nai n desu.
I haven't been exercising lately, so I have no stamina.
最近運動していないので、体力がないんです。
tairyoku o tsukeru (build up stamina) is the usual resolution: tairyoku tsukenakya.
Same verb: sutamina (stamina), chikara (strength), kiryoku (drive, willpower)Learn alongside: ashi ga hayai, undou shinkei ga iiMain list: aru (Stage 1), mou (Stage 1)