Careful or careless
Idioms, Stage 2chunk 10 of 21Noticing & the mind
How much attention you give something: looking it over and minding others vs underrating it or putting it second.
- me o toosulook over, read throughliterally “pass the eyes through”
- amaku miruunderestimate, take lightlyliterally “look at it sweetly”
- ki o kubarube attentive; look out for othersliterally “hand out the attention”
- ni no tsugicomes second, low priorityliterally “two's next: second in line”
- kangae ga amaibe naive, not think it throughliterally “the thinking is sweet”
Mix-ups amaku miru (underrate someone or something) vs kangae ga amai (your own plan is naive): both built on amai; me o toosu is a once-through read, not a close inspection.
me o toosu
polite me o tooshimasu
“pass the eyes through”
look over, read through
In English: run your eye over
Used for documents, emails and menus, and means going through it once, not studying it. You'll mostly hear it in requests like me o tooshite oite (have a look over this) and in ichiou me o tooshita (I've had a look). At work: ome o tooshite itadakemasu ka (could you look this over?).
Plain alternative: zatto miru (have a quick look).
kore, ato de me o tooshitoite.
Have a look over this later.
これ、あとで目を通しといて。
kore, ato de me o tooshite oite kudasai.
Please have a look over this later.
これ、あとで目を通しておいてください。
Written 目を通す · めをとおすHeard 196× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesMain list -toku (Stage 1)
amaku miru
polite amaku mimasu
“look at it sweetly”
underestimate, take lightly
Said about an opponent, a task, a cold or the weather that turns out tougher than you thought: amaku miteta (I underestimated it). It's also a warning: amaku miru na, amaku minai hou ga ii. Don't confuse it with amai (soft on someone) or oome ni miru (let it slide); kangae ga amai judges a whole plan as naive.
Slangy one word: nameru (namen na yo = don't underestimate me).
shiken, chotto amaku miteta.
I kind of underestimated the exam.
試験、ちょっと甘く見てた。
shiken o chotto amaku mite imashita.
I kind of underestimated the exam.
試験をちょっと甘く見ていました。
Written 甘く見る · あまくみるHeard 82× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside kangae ga amai, oome ni miru (Stage 3)Main list miru (Stage 2), -teru (Stage 1)
ki o kubaru
polite ki o kubarimasu
“hand out the attention”
be attentive; look out for others
Said with approval of someone who notices what everyone needs (mawari ni ki o kubaru), or about keeping an eye on details or your health. The noun kikubari is just as common: kikubari ga dekiru hito. It's close to ki o tsukau (go out of your way for someone) and ki ga kiku (be thoughtful); ki o mawasu is thinking ahead too much.
Noun form: kikubari (kikubari ga dekiru = attentive).
kanojo, itsumo mawari ni ki o kubatteru yo ne.
She's always looking out for everyone, isn't she.
彼女、いつも周りに気を配ってるよね。
kanojo wa itsumo mawari ni ki o kubatte imasu yo ne.
She's always looking out for everyone, isn't she.
彼女はいつも周りに気を配っていますよね。
Written 気を配る · きをくばるHeard 79× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside ki ga kikuMain list -teru (Stage 1)
ni no tsugi
polite ni no tsugi desu
“two's next: second in line”
comes second, low priority
In English: take a back seat
Said as X wa ni no tsugi to rank what matters less: your own priorities (mitame wa ni no tsugi, jibun no koto wa ni no tsugi) or, critically, someone else's (kazoku wa ni no tsugi). Also ni no tsugi ni suru (put X second) and ni no tsugi ni naru (end up coming second).
Plain alternative: atomawashi (put off till later).
kare no baai, kazoku wa ni no tsugi na n da yo.
With him, his family always comes second.
彼の場合、家族は二の次なんだよ。
kare no baai, kazoku wa ni no tsugi na n desu yo.
With him, his family always comes second.
彼の場合、家族は二の次なんですよ。
Written 二の次 · にのつぎHeard 18× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesMain list n da yo (Stage 3)
kangae ga amai
polite kangae ga amai desu
“the thinking is sweet”
be naive, not think it through
A blunt judgement on a plan that ignores how hard things are, usually from someone more experienced: sonna no kangae ga amai yo. Amaku miru is underestimating one task or opponent.
Past misjudgement: yomi ga amakatta (I misread it).
ichinichi de owaru? sore wa kangae ga amai yo.
Done in a day? That's naive.
一日で終わる？それは考えが甘いよ。
ichinichi de owaru n desu ka? sore wa chotto kangae ga amai to omoimasu yo.
Done in a day? I think that's a bit naive.
一日で終わるんですか？それはちょっと考えが甘いと思いますよ。
Written 考えが甘い · かんがえがあまいHeard 5× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside amaku miru, oome ni miru (Stage 3)Main list kangaeru (Stage 2), to omou (Stage 3)