Doesn't add up
Idioms, Stage 1chunk 18 of 21Noticing & the mind
Judging whether something makes sense, from baffling to logical but it still won't sit right.
- wake ga wakaranaimakes no sense at all, bafflingliterally “the reason can't be understood”
- suji ga toorumake sense, be fair and logicalliterally “the line runs through”
- tsujitsuma ga awanaiit doesn't add upliterally “the seams and hems don't meet”
- nani ga nan da ka wakaranaihave no idea what's going onliterally “can't tell what is what”
- fu ni ochinaican't quite accept it, doesn't sit rightliterally “doesn't drop into the guts”
Mix-ups suji ga tooru (it holds together) vs tsujitsuma ga awanai (the details clash); wake ga wakaranai (makes no sense) vs nani ga nan da ka wakaranai (lost about what's going on); fu ni ochinai is a feeling that persists even when the logic works.
wake ga wakaranai
polite wake ga wakarimasen
“the reason can't be understood”
makes no sense at all, baffling
Your reaction when a situation, a rule or someone's behaviour is baffling or absurd; casually wake wakannai. In quick reactions it swaps freely with imi wakannai, but only wake works before a noun: wake no wakannai koto iwanaide (don't talk nonsense). Aimed at what the listener just said, it's blunt even in polite form.
Before a noun: wake no wakaranai hito (a weirdo); slangy one word: imifu (makes no sense).
kono ruuru, chotto wake wakannai yo ne.
This rule doesn't make any sense, does it?
このルール、ちょっとわけわかんないよね。
kono ruuru, chotto wake ga wakarimasen yo ne.
This rule doesn't make any sense, does it?
このルール、ちょっと訳が分かりませんよね。
Written 訳が分からない · わけがわからないHeard 139× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside suji ga tooru, tsujitsuma ga awanai, nani ga nan da ka wakaranai, fu ni ochinaiMain list wakaru (Stage 2), -nai (Stage 1)
suji ga tooru
polite suji ga toorimasu
“the line runs through”
make sense, be fair and logical
Often negative, about a demand, an excuse or a way of doing things that isn't logical or fair: sore wa suji ga tooranai (that's not right). The positive is suji ga tootteru or suji no tootta hanashi (a reasonable argument). Tsujitsuma ga awanai is different: a story that contradicts itself.
Related: suji o toosu (do it properly, through the right channels).
sore ja suji ga tooranai yo.
That doesn't make sense, and it isn't fair.
それじゃ筋が通らないよ。
sore de wa suji ga toorimasen yo.
That doesn't make sense, and it isn't fair.
それでは筋が通りませんよ。
Written 筋が通る · すじがとおるHeard 80× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside wake ga wakaranai, tsujitsuma ga awanai, nani ga nan da ka wakaranai, fu ni ochinaiMain list -nai (Stage 1)
tsujitsuma ga awanai
polite tsujitsuma ga aimasen
“the seams and hems don't meet”
it doesn't add up
In English: doesn't add up
Said when a story, an alibi or an excuse contradicts itself: hanashi no tsujitsuma ga awanai. It's mostly negative, and tsujitsuma o awaseru means patching a story so it fits. Fu ni ochinai is about your own feeling of not being convinced.
Plain alternative: mujun shiteru (it's contradictory).
sore, sakki no hanashi to tsujitsuma awanai jan.
That doesn't match what you said earlier.
それ、さっきの話とつじつま合わないじゃん。
sore, sakki no ohanashi to tsujitsuma ga aimasen ne.
That doesn't match what you said earlier.
それ、さっきのお話とつじつまが合いませんね。
Written 辻褄が合わない · つじつまがあわないHeard 54× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside wake ga wakaranai, suji ga tooru, nani ga nan da ka wakaranai, fu ni ochinaiMain list -nai (Stage 1)
nani ga nan da ka wakaranai
polite nani ga nan da ka wakarimasen
“can't tell what is what”
have no idea what's going on
Said when too much happens at once or something comes out of nowhere and you're lost. It's often cut short to nani ga nan da ka. Wake ga wakaranai judges something as absurd; this one is just being lost.
Casual: nani ga nan da ka wakannai, or just nani ga nan da ka.
kyuu ni sonna koto iwarete mo, nani ga nan da ka wakannai yo.
You can't just spring that on me. I've no idea what's going on.
急にそんなこと言われても、何が何だか分かんないよ。
kyuu ni sonna koto o iwarete mo, nani ga nan da ka wakarimasen yo.
You can't just spring that on me. I've no idea what's going on.
急にそんなことを言われても、何が何だか分かりませんよ。
Written 何が何だか分からない · なにがなんだかわからないHeard 47× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside wake ga wakaranai, suji ga tooru, tsujitsuma ga awanai, fu ni ochinaiMain list nani (Stage 1), wakaru (Stage 2), -nai (Stage 1)
fu ni ochinai
polite fu ni ochimasen
“doesn't drop into the guts”
can't quite accept it, doesn't sit right
In English: something doesn't sit right
Said when an explanation or a result leaves you unconvinced, even if you can't say why: nanka fu ni ochinai. It's almost always negative and about your own feeling, unlike tsujitsuma ga awanai, where the story itself contradicts.
Plain alternative: nattoku dekinai (I'm not convinced).
setsumei wa kiita kedo, nanka fu ni ochinai.
I heard the explanation, but something doesn't sit right.
説明は聞いたけど、なんか腑に落ちない。
setsumei wa kikimashita kedo, dou mo fu ni ochinai n desu.
I heard the explanation, but something just doesn't sit right.
説明は聞きましたけど、どうも腑に落ちないんです。
Written 腑に落ちない · ふにおちないHeard 27× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside wake ga wakaranai, suji ga tooru, tsujitsuma ga awanai, nani ga nan da ka wakaranaiMain list -nai (Stage 1)