Obvious or hidden
Idioms, Stage 4chunk 4 of 22Noticing & the mind
Things in plain sight vs things below the surface.
- ura ga aruthere's a catch, a hidden motiveliterally “there's a back side”
- me ni mieteruit's obvious what will happenliterally “it's visible to the eye”
- oku ga fukaihas real depth, more to learnliterally “the inside is deep”
- ichimoku ryouzenobvious at a glanceliterally “clear at one look”
- kao ni kaite aruit's written all over your faceliterally “it's written on the face”
Mix-ups me ni mieteru (the outcome is predictable) vs ichimoku ryouzen (clear at a glance) vs kao ni kaite aru (your feelings show); ura ga aru (a hidden catch, negative) vs oku ga fukai (hidden depth, positive).
ura ga aru
polite ura ga arimasu
“there's a back side”
there's a catch, a hidden motive
In English: there's a catch
Said with suspicion about an offer that seems too good or kindness that's out of character: nanka ura ga aru n ja nai? It's also said of a person with a hidden side (ura ga aru hito). Oku ga fukai is the admiring 'there's more to it'.
Set phrase: umai hanashi ni wa ura ga aru.
sonna umai hanashi, zettai ura ga aru yo.
A deal that good definitely has a catch.
そんなうまい話、絶対裏があるよ。
sonna umai hanashi wa, zettai ura ga arimasu yo.
A deal that good definitely has a catch.
そんなうまい話は、絶対裏がありますよ。
Written 裏がある · うらがあるHeard 57× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside oku ga fukaiMain list aru (Stage 1)
me ni mieteru
polite me ni miete imasu
“it's visible to the eye”
it's obvious what will happen
In English: you can see it coming
Used to predict a bad outcome you can already see coming: okorareru no wa me ni mieteru (it's obvious we'll get told off). It's always about a future result and always in the -teru form. Don't confuse it with me ni miete (visibly: me ni miete yaseta = noticeably thinner) or plain me ni mieru (literally visible).
Short form: kekka wa mieteru (we know how it ends).
sonna koto shitara okorareru no me ni mieteru yo.
Do that and you'll obviously get told off.
そんなことしたら怒られるの目に見えてるよ。
sonna koto o shitara, okorareru no wa me ni miete imasu yo.
If you do that, you'll obviously get told off.
そんなことをしたら、怒られるのは目に見えていますよ。
Written 目に見えてる · めにみえてるHeard 12× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside ichimoku ryouzen, kao ni kaite aru, kao ni deruMain list -teru (Stage 1)
oku ga fukai
polite oku ga fukai desu
“the inside is deep”
has real depth, more to learn
Said with admiration about a hobby, craft, language or field that keeps getting deeper the more you learn: nihongo tte oku ga fukai ne. It's said about things, not people. Ura ga aru is the suspicious 'there's more to it'.
Adjective form: okubukai (deep, profound).
koohii tte, oku ga fukai ne.
There's more to coffee than you'd think.
コーヒーって、奥が深いね。
koohii wa oku ga fukai desu ne.
There's more to coffee than you'd think.
コーヒーは奥が深いですね。
Written 奥が深い · おくがふかいHeard 4× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside ura ga aru
ichimoku ryouzen
polite ichimoku ryouzen desu
“clear at one look”
obvious at a glance
Said when a comparison, a chart or a before-and-after makes the answer instantly clear, often after mireba (if you look). It's used with da or desu.
Plain alternative: mireba wakaru (you'll see if you look).
narabete mireba ichimoku ryouzen da yo.
Put them side by side and it's obvious.
並べてみれば一目瞭然だよ。
narabete mireba ichimoku ryouzen desu yo.
Put them side by side and it's obvious.
並べてみれば一目瞭然ですよ。
Written 一目瞭然 · いちもくりょうぜんHeard 12× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside me ni mieteru, kao ni kaite aru, kao ni deruMain list -te miru (Stage 1)
kao ni kaite aru
polite kao ni kaite arimasu
“it's written on the face”
it's written all over your face
In English: written all over your face
Teasing someone whose thoughts are obvious, like boredom, a lie or a crush: kao ni kaite aru yo. It's usually said to the person, about what they think or want. Kao ni deru is broader: any feeling showing on someone's face (sugu kao ni deru = can't hide feelings); kao ni kaite aru reads a specific thought as if it were spelled out.
Plain alternative: miemie (so obvious).
tsumannai tte kao ni kaite aru yo.
'I'm bored' is written all over your face.
つまんないって顔に書いてあるよ。
tsumaranai tte kao ni kaite arimasu yo.
'I'm bored' is written all over your face.
つまらないって顔に書いてありますよ。
Written 顔に書いてある · かおにかいてあるHeard 7× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside me ni mieteru, ichimoku ryouzen, kao ni deruMain list aru (Stage 1)