Hidden side
Idioms, Stage 3chunk 14 of 22What people are like
The person behind the surface: not what they look like, a different person, scheming, faking sweetness, good at heart.
- mikake ni yoranainot what you'd guess from looksliterally “doesn't go by appearances”
- hito ga kawaruturn into a different personliterally “the person changes”
- haraguroischeming behind a nice faceliterally “black-bellied”
- neko o kaburuput on a sweet, innocent actliterally “wear a cat over oneself”
- ne wa iigood at heart (despite appearances)literally “the root is good”
Mix-ups hara ga kuroi (secretly scheming) vs neko o kaburu (faking innocence). ne wa ii can be mixed up with hito ga ii. hito ga kawaru (become a different person) vs ki ga kawaru (change your mind).
mikake ni yoranai
polite mikake ni yoranai desu
“doesn't go by appearances”
not what you'd guess from looks
In English: you can't judge a book by its cover
Said when someone turns out different from how they look, like a gentle-looking guy who boxes: hito wa mikake ni yoranai ne. Always negative; as an adverb, mikake ni yorazu (despite looks): mikake ni yorazu yoku taberu.
Full saying: hito wa mikake ni yoranai; plain word: igai (unexpected).
ano hito ga? mikake ni yoranai ne.
Him? You'd never guess from looking.
あの人が？見かけによらないね。
ano hito ga desu ka? hito wa mikake ni yoranai desu ne.
Him? You really can't judge people by their looks.
あの人がですか？人は見かけによらないですね。
Written 見かけによらない · みかけによらないHeard 8× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside haraguroi, neko o kaburu, ne wa iiMain list -ni yoru (Stage 4), -nai (Stage 1), hito (Stage 3)
hito ga kawaru
polite hito ga kawarimasu
“the person changes”
turn into a different person
About someone who changes completely when drunk, angry or behind the wheel (nomu to hito ga kawaru), or someone who has changed for good or bad: hito ga kawatta mitai. Mostly with -to or in the past. With a modifier it's literal: tantou no hito ga kawaru (the person in charge changes).
Like a different person: hito ga kawatta you ni / mitai ni.
kare, osake nomu to hito ga kawaru n da yo.
He turns into a different person when he drinks.
彼、お酒飲むと人が変わるんだよ。
kare wa osake o nomu to hito ga kawaru n desu yo.
He becomes a different person when he drinks.
彼はお酒を飲むと人が変わるんですよ。
Written 人が変わる · ひとがかわるHeard 25× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesMain list kawaru (Stage 1), -to (Stage 2), nomu (Stage 2), mitai (Stage 4)
haraguroi
polite haraguroi desu
“black-bellied”
scheming behind a nice face
About someone who smiles sweetly but is calculating underneath, often half-joking, about a coworker, a celebrity or a friend's new partner. It is fused from hara ga kuroi, which people hardly ever say in full. Neko o kaburu is only the sweet act, without the scheming.
Noun: haraguro (a schemer).
ano ko, jitsu wa haraguroi yo.
She's actually a schemer.
あの子、実は腹黒いよ。
ano hito, jitsu wa haraguroi desu yo.
She's actually quite calculating.
あの人、実は腹黒いですよ。
Written 腹黒い · はらぐろいHeard 24× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside mikake ni yoranai, neko o kaburu, ne wa iiMain list jitsu wa (Stage 4)
neko o kaburu
polite neko o kaburimasu
“wear a cat over oneself”
put on a sweet, innocent act
About someone acting sweet, shy or well-behaved to hide their real self, in front of a boss, a date or the in-laws; usually neko kabutteru with o dropped. Close to haraguroi, but this is only the act, not scheming.
Noun: nekokaburi (someone putting on an act).
ano ko, kachou no mae da to neko kabutteru yo.
She acts all sweet in front of the boss.
あの子、課長の前だと猫かぶってるよ。
ano ko, kachou no mae da to neko kabuttemasu yo.
She puts on an innocent act in front of the manager.
あの子、課長の前だと猫かぶってますよ。
Written 猫をかぶる · ねこをかぶるHeard 11× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside mikake ni yoranai, haraguroi, ne wa iiMain list -teru (Stage 1), mae / ushiro (Stage 3)
ne wa ii
polite ne wa ii desu
“the root is good”
good at heart (despite appearances)
In English: one's heart is in the right place
Defending someone who seems rude, scary or lazy, nearly always as ne wa ii yatsu or ne wa ii hito. Ne (root) is someone's true nature: ne wa majime (serious at heart), ne wa yasashii (kind at heart).
Same pattern: ne wa majime, ne wa yasashii.
kuchi warui kedo, ne wa ii yatsu da yo.
He's mouthy, but he's a good guy at heart.
口悪いけど、根はいいやつだよ。
kuchi wa warui desu kedo, ne wa ii hito desu yo.
He can be blunt, but he's a good person at heart.
口は悪いですけど、根はいい人ですよ。
Written 根はいい · ねはいいHeard 5× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside mikake ni yoranai, haraguroi, neko o kaburuMain list ii (Stage 1), -kedo (Stage 1), yasashii (Stage 3)