Learning a skill
Idioms, Stage 2chunk 4 of 21Effort, ease & difficulty
Progress on something new: start on it, get the knack, hit a wall, keep adding up, until it is yours.
- mi ni tsukerupick up (a skill or habit); wearliterally “attach to the body”
- te o tsukerustart on (a task); touch (food); dip into (money)literally “put a hand on”
- kotsu o tsukamuget the knack, get the feel of itliterally “grab the knack”
- kabe ni butsukaruhit a wall, stop making progressliterally “bump into a wall”
- chiri mo tsumoreba yama to narusmall amounts add upliterally “even dust, piled up, becomes a mountain”
Mix-ups mi ni tsukeru and te o tsukeru share tsukeru: mi means making a skill your own, while te means starting on a task (or touching food or money).
mi ni tsukeru
polite mi ni tsukemasu
“attach to the body”
pick up (a skill or habit); wear
How people talk about gaining skills, knowledge and habits through practice: eigo o mi ni tsuketai, shuukan o mi ni tsukeru; the intransitive mi ni tsuku (it sticks) is just as common. With clothes and accessories it means wear or carry on you, a more formal ring than kiru.
Intransitive: renshuu shinai to mi ni tsukanai (it won't stick without practice).
shigoto shinagara mi ni tsuketa n da
I picked it up on the job.
仕事しながら身につけたんだ
shigoto shinagara mi ni tsuketa n desu
I picked it up on the job.
仕事しながら身につけたんです
Written 身につける · みにつけるHeard 243× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside kotsu o tsukamu
te o tsukeru
polite te o tsukemasu
“put a hand on”
start on (a task); touch (food); dip into (money)
Two everyday shapes: doko kara te o tsukereba ii ka wakaranai (don't know where to start) and mada zenzen te tsuketenai (haven't even started). The thing takes ni, and it also covers food and money: gohan ni te o tsuketenai (hasn't touched the food), chokin ni te o tsukeru (dip into savings), kaisha no kane ni te o tsukeru (help yourself to company money). In speech the o often drops.
Plain alternative: hajimeru (start). With a person as the object it means something else: onna ni te o tsukeru is taking a woman in your charge as a lover (drama talk; everyday speech says te o dasu).
repooto, mada zenzen te tsuketenai
I haven't even started on the report.
レポート、まだ全然手つけてない
repooto, mada zenzen te o tsuketenai n desu
I haven't even started on the report.
レポート、まだ全然手をつけてないんです
Written 手をつける · てをつけるHeard 104× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesMain list mada (Stage 1), zenzen (Stage 4), -nai (Stage 1), -teru (Stage 1)
kotsu o tsukamu
polite kotsu o tsukamimasu
“grab the knack”
get the knack, get the feel of it
In English: get the hang of it
Said whenever a skill, sport, game or job starts to click: yatto kotsu tsukanda!, and while it is happening, kotsu ga tsukamete kita (I'm getting the hang of it). The o often drops in casual speech, and kotsu alone is the trick to something (kotsu o oshiete, tell me the trick).
Plain alternative: kotsu ga wakatte kita (it's starting to click) or dekiru you ni natta (I can do it now).
yatto kotsu tsukanda kamo
I think I've finally got the hang of it.
やっとコツつかんだかも
yatto kotsu o tsukanda ki ga shimasu
I think I've finally got the hang of it.
やっとコツをつかんだ気がします
Written コツをつかむ · こつをつかむHeard 23× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside mi ni tsukeruMain list kamo (Stage 3), ki ga suru (Stage 2)
kabe ni butsukaru
polite kabe ni butsukarimasu
“bump into a wall”
hit a wall, stop making progress
In English: hit a wall
How learners, athletes and workers describe a plateau or obstacle, usually as -teru (stuck now) or -ta: ima chotto kabe ni butsukatteru. The same words describe literally walking into a wall.
Getting past it: kabe o koeru / norikoeru.
nihongo, ima kabe ni butsukatteru n da
I've hit a wall with my Japanese right now.
日本語、今壁にぶつかってるんだ
nihongo, ima kabe ni butsukatte iru n desu
I've hit a wall with my Japanese right now.
日本語、今壁にぶつかっているんです
Written 壁にぶつかる · かべにぶつかるHeard 6× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesMain list -teru (Stage 1)
chiri mo tsumoreba yama to naru
“even dust, piled up, becomes a mountain”
small amounts add up
In English: it all adds up
Said about saving small change, daily study or small habits that build up, and about small costs that add up. Often only the first half is said (chiri mo tsumoreba...).
Slang short form: chiritsumo.
chiri mo tsumoreba yama to naru tte ne
Little things add up, as they say.
塵も積もれば山となるってね
chiri mo tsumoreba yama to naru tte iimasu kara ne
Little things add up, as they say.
塵も積もれば山となるって言いますからね
Written 塵も積もれば山となる · ちりもつもればやまとなるHeard 2× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesMain list mo (Stage 2), -ba (Stage 2), naru (Stage 1)