Mind elsewhere
Idioms, Stage 2chunk 17 of 21Noticing & the mind
Attention stuck on one thing or scattered, so you're not really present.
- atama kara hanarenaican't stop thinking about itliterally “won't leave the head”
- ki ga chiruget distracted, can't focusliterally “the mind scatters”
- ki o torarerube distracted by, have your mind on something elseliterally “have the mind taken”
- atama ga ippaican think of nothing else, preoccupiedliterally “the head is full”
- uwa no soramiles away, not really listeningliterally “the sky above”
Mix-ups ki ga chiru (scattered by your surroundings) vs ki o torareru (pulled away by one thing); atama kara hanarenai (can't stop thinking of it) and atama ga ippai (room for nothing else) both mean preoccupied; uwa no sora is how it looks from outside.
atama kara hanarenai
polite atama kara hanaremasen
“won't leave the head”
can't stop thinking about it
In English: can't get it out of my head
For a song, a worry, a scene or a person that keeps coming back, with the thing as the subject: ano kotoba ga atama kara hanarenai. It's almost always negative. Atama ni ukabu is a thought popping up once.
ano kyoku ga atama kara hanarenai.
I can't get that song out of my head.
あの曲が頭から離れない。
ano kyoku ga atama kara hanaremasen.
I can't get that song out of my head.
あの曲が頭から離れません。
Written 頭から離れない · あたまからはなれないHeard 102× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside ki ni kakeru, atama ga ippaiMain list -nai (Stage 1)
ki ga chiru
polite ki ga chirimasu
“the mind scatters”
get distracted, can't focus
The everyday complaint when noise, a phone or someone talking breaks your focus: urusakute ki ga chiru, ki ga chiru kara yamete. It's the annoying kind of distraction; ki o torareru names the one thing that pulled you away. Ki ga magireru is the welcome kind that takes your mind off worries.
Opposite: shuuchuu suru (focus).
mawari ga urusakute ki ga chiru.
It's so noisy around here I can't focus.
周りがうるさくて気が散る。
mawari ga urusakute ki ga chirimasu.
It's so noisy around here I can't focus.
周りがうるさくて気が散ります。
Written 気が散る · きがちるHeard 81× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside ki o torareru, uwa no sora
ki o torareru
polite ki o toraremasu
“have the mind taken”
be distracted by, have your mind on something else
Explaining a slip: you were caught up in one thing (X ni ki o torarete) and missed or forgot something else, as in sumaho ni ki o torarete norisugoshita. Ki ga chiru is losing focus to noise or interruptions; ki o torareru names the one thing that took your attention.
sumaho ni ki o torarete, norisugoshichatta.
I was so caught up in my phone I missed my stop.
スマホに気を取られて、乗り過ごしちゃった。
sumaho ni ki o torarete, norisugoshite shimaimashita.
I was so caught up in my phone I missed my stop.
スマホに気を取られて、乗り過ごしてしまいました。
Written 気を取られる · きをとられるHeard 61× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside ki ga chiru, uwa no soraMain list toru (Stage 4), -areru / -rareru (Stage 2), -chau (Stage 1)
atama ga ippai
polite atama ga ippai desu
“the head is full”
can think of nothing else, preoccupied
Said as X no koto de atama ga ippai: an exam, a crush, money or a sick parent fills your head and leaves no room for anything else. Shika atama ni nai is the teasing version about someone else.
Overwhelmed: mou ippai ippai (I'm at my limit, can't take any more).
ima wa shiken no koto de atama ga ippai.
Right now the exam is all I can think about.
今は試験のことで頭がいっぱい。
ima wa shiken no koto de atama ga ippai na n desu.
Right now the exam is all I can think about.
今は試験のことで頭がいっぱいなんです。
Written 頭がいっぱい · あたまがいっぱいHeard 45× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside ki ni kakeru, atama kara hanarenaiMain list ippai (Stage 3), koto (Stage 3)
uwa no sora
polite uwa no sora desu
“the sky above”
miles away, not really listening
In English: miles away
Said of someone who nods along but isn't listening, often because they're in love or worried: sakki kara uwa no sora da yo. It works like a na-adjective: uwa no sora de kiku (half listen).
nee, kiiteru? sakki kara uwa no sora da yo.
Hey, are you listening? You've been miles away.
ねえ、聞いてる？さっきから上の空だよ。
ano, kiitemasu? sakki kara uwa no sora desu ne.
Um, are you listening? You've been miles away.
あの、聞いてます？さっきから上の空ですね。
Written 上の空 · うわのそらHeard 29× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside ki ga chiru, ki o torareruMain list kiku (Stage 2), -teru (Stage 1)