Tastes and likeness
Idioms, Stage 4chunk 7 of 22What people are like
What suits whom and who is alike: to one's taste, suits one's nature, alike in character, identical, everyone differs.
- kuchi ni ausuit one's taste (food or drink)literally “fit the mouth”
- shou ni ausuit one's nature, be one's thingliterally “fit one's nature”
- nita mono doushialike in character (two people)literally “similar people, fellows”
- uri futatsulook exactly alikeliterally “a melon, two halves”
- juunin toiroeveryone's different (tastes, opinions)literally “ten people, ten colours”
Mix-ups kuchi ni au (suits one's palate) and shou ni au (suits one's nature) both end in ni au. nita mono doushi (alike in character) vs uri futatsu (alike in looks).
kuchi ni au
polite okuchi ni aimasu ka
“fit the mouth”
suit one's taste (food or drink)
The host's line when serving food or drink, politely with o: okuchi ni au ka wakarimasen kedo; the question every visitor to Japan gets: nihon no tabemono, kuchi ni au? (politely okuchi ni aimasu ka?); and a soft way to say you don't like something: chotto kuchi ni awanakute. Shou ni au is for activities, not food.
Polite with o: okuchi ni au; plain way: suki ka wakannai (not sure you'll like it).
kore, kuchi ni au ka wakannai kedo, tabete mite.
Not sure you'll like it, but give it a try.
これ、口に合うかわかんないけど、食べてみて。
okuchi ni au ka wakarimasen ga, douzo.
I'm not sure it'll be to your taste, but please have some.
お口に合うかわかりませんが、どうぞ。
Written 口に合う · くちにあうHeard 21× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside shou ni auMain list taberu (Stage 2), -te miru (Stage 1), wakannai (Stage 2)
shou ni au
polite shou ni aimasu
“fit one's nature”
suit one's nature, be one's thing
In English: (not) one's cup of tea
About jobs, lifestyles and ways of doing things, mostly in the negative: jimu shigoto wa shou ni awanai. It's for activities; food that suits you is kuchi ni au, and clicking with a person is ki ga au.
Plainer: watashi ni wa muitenai (not suited to me), or nigate.
jimu shigoto wa shou ni awanai n da.
Office work just isn't me.
事務仕事は性に合わないんだ。
jimu shigoto wa shou ni awanai n desu.
Office work doesn't really suit me.
事務仕事は性に合わないんです。
Written 性に合う · しょうにあうHeard 36× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside kuchi ni auMain list -nai (Stage 1), n da (Stage 1), nigate (Stage 2)
nita mono doushi
polite nita mono doushi desu
“similar people, fellows”
alike in character (two people)
In English: two of a kind
Teasing two friends or a couple who share the same quirks or faults: futari tte nita mono doushi da yo ne. About character and habits, not looks; looking alike is uri futatsu or sokkuri.
Related saying, said aloud too: rui wa tomo o yobu (birds of a feather), for a group drawn together; clipped to ruitomo.
futari tte, nita mono doushi da yo ne.
You two are two of a kind.
二人って、似た者同士だよね。
ofutari wa nita mono doushi desu ne.
You two are very much alike.
お二人は似た者同士ですね。
Written 似た者同士 · にたものどうしHeard 26× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside uri futatsu
uri futatsu
polite uri futatsu desu
“a melon, two halves”
look exactly alike
In English: the spitting image
Said about a child and parent, siblings or a celebrity lookalike: okaasan to uri futatsu da ne. Only about looks; the everyday single word sokkuri is said more often, and nita mono doushi is about personality.
Single word: sokkuri (just like), far more common in speech.
okaasan to uri futatsu da ne!
You're the spitting image of your mum!
お母さんと瓜二つだね！
okaasan to uri futatsu desu ne!
You look exactly like your mother!
お母さんと瓜二つですね！
Written 瓜二つ · うりふたつHeard 16× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside nita mono doushiMain list onaji (Stage 4)
juunin toiro
polite juunin toiro desu
“ten people, ten colours”
everyone's different (tastes, opinions)
In English: to each their own
Ends a debate about taste, opinions or how to do something: konomi wa juunin toiro da kara ne. It sounds a little proverbial; hito sorezore is the plain everyday way.
Plain everyday way: hito sorezore (it depends on the person).
konomi wa juunin toiro da kara ne.
Everyone's got their own taste.
好みは十人十色だからね。
konomi wa juunin toiro desu kara ne.
Tastes differ from person to person.
好みは十人十色ですからね。
Written 十人十色 · じゅうにんといろHeard too rare in film subtitles to countMain list hito (Stage 3), -kara (Stage 1)