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Japanese Versatility List

Idioms: Stage 3

Say you feel better or need to cool off, describe stubborn or two-faced people, let things go or hold a grudge, keep a secret, and talk about being busy, hunches, getting carried away and wasted effort.

91 idioms in 22 chunks, learned alongside Stage 3 of the main list. Start with Feeling better and use Next at the bottom of each page.

  1. 1Feeling betterFeelings & temperki ga sumu be satisfied, feel it's settledki ga raku feel relieved, at easeki ga magireru be distracted from worrieski ga hareru feel better, the gloom liftskata no ni ga oriru feel relieved of a burden
  2. 2Not right nowEffort, ease & difficultyte ga hanasenai be tied up, can't step away nowte ippai have your hands full, at full capacitysore dokoro ja nai no time for that; far from itte ga aku be free (not tied up), have a spare moment
  3. 3Letting things goGetting on with peoplenakatta koto ni suru pretend it never happenedoome ni miru let it slide, go easy on someonemizu ni nagasu forgive and forgeturamikko nashi no hard feelings, whoever wins
  4. 4Getting carried awayLuck, trouble & outcomeschoushi ni noru get carried away, get cockyhame o hazusu let loose, go overboardii ki ni naru get full of yourselfma ga sashita something came over me (a sudden lapse)
  5. 5SecretsTalking & listeningkoko dake no hanashi between you and mekuchi ga suberu let something slipshira o kiru play dumb, pretend not to knowhakaba made motte iku keep a secret to the grave
  6. 6Looking awayNoticing & the mindme o tsuburu turn a blind eye, overlookme o somukeru look away from, refuse to facemite minu furi o suru pretend not to see, look the other waytoudai moto kurashi you overlook what's right next to you
  7. 7StubbornWhat people are likekiku mimi o motanai refuse to listen, won't hear a word of itakirame ga warui won't give up, can't let goiji o haru be stubborn out of prideyuuzuu ga kikanai inflexible, by-the-book, won't make exceptionsatama ga katai rigid, inflexible in one's thinking
  8. 8Cooling offFeelings & temperatama o hiyasu cool off, calm downmuki ni naru get worked up, take it too seriouslykata no chikara o nuku relax, stop trying so hard
  9. 9Keeping your nerveEffort, ease & difficultysono ki ni naru warm to the idea; get carried away, take it seriouslyyareba dekiru you can do it if you tryyowane o haku say you can't take it, talk of giving upkokoro ga oreru lose the will to keep going
  10. 10Bad bloodGetting on with peopleki o waruku suru take offense, feel hurtki ni sawaru offend, get on someone's nervesteki ni mawasu make an enemy of, turn (someone) against youne ni motsu hold a grudge
  11. 11Closing the matterLuck, trouble & outcomeskeri o tsukeru settle it, put an end to itikken rakuchaku case closed, that's sortedkejime o tsukeru take proper responsibility; draw a clear line
  12. 12Conversation flowTalking & listeningkuchi o hasamu butt in, put in one's two cents (in talk or matters that aren't yours)uwasa o sureba speak of the devilhanashi no koshi o oru interrupt and derail what someone is sayingma ga motanai can't fill the silence, run out of things to say
  13. 13Hunches and surprisesNoticing & the mindki no sei just your imaginationomoi mo yoranai never imagined, totally unexpectedyume ni mo omowanakatta never imagined, never dreamedmushi no shirase a premonition (that came true)me kara uroko a revelation that changes your view
  14. 14Hidden sideWhat people are likemikake ni yoranai not what you'd guess from lookshito ga kawaru turn into a different personharaguroi scheming behind a nice faceneko o kaburu put on a sweet, innocent actne wa ii good at heart (despite appearances)
  15. 15Pride, envy, gloatingFeelings & temperzamaa miro serves you right, ha!hana ga takai be proud (of someone)ii kimi serves them rightyakimochi o yaku be jealous (over someone's affection)
  16. 16Slacking offEffort, ease & difficultychuuto hanpa half-done, half-heartedki o nuku let your guard down, ease offte o nuku slack off, cut corners
  17. 17At a get-togetherGetting on with peoplekao o dasu drop by, show upohiraki ni suru call it a night, wrap up (a party)mizu o sasu put a damper on, spoil the mood
  18. 18All for nothingLuck, trouble & outcomesmizu no awa all for nothing, wastedtorikaeshi ga tsukanai can't be undone, irreversiblebou ni furu throw away (a chance, a career, years)furidashi ni modoru be back to square oneato no matsuri too late to do anything
  19. 19Fair pointNoticing & the mindmuri mo nai no wonder, it's understandableichiri aru have a pointii sen itteru close, on the right track
  20. 20Close and distantGetting on with peoplekokoro o hiraku open up (to someone)kyori o oku keep your distance, take time apartaka no tanin a complete strangerkaya no soto left out of the looptanin gyougi too formal, distant (with someone close)yoso wa yoso, uchi wa uchi other families do as they like; we do it our way
  21. 21Bound to happenLuck, trouble & outcomesjikan no mondai only a matter of timeni no mai a repeat of an earlier failure (someone else's, or last time's)nido aru koto wa sando aru if it happened twice, it'll happen againsandome no shoujiki the third try will be the onesaru mo ki kara ochiru even experts make mistakes
  22. 22Comes to mindNoticing & the mindpin to kuru it clicks, it rings a bellatama ni ukabu come to mindme ni ukabu can just picture itnodo made dekakatteru on the tip of my tongue