Japanese expressions quiz
Your textbook never taught you these.
Could you keep up at an izakaya, on the train, on a date or with friends? Let’s see how many of these you’d catch.
10 expressionsbeginner to advancedabout 2 minutesno sign-up
Word for word: “the belly stands up”
So what does it really mean? Tap an answer to start.
Press 1 or 2
Japanese expressions quiz
The 10 expressions in this quiz
Word for word, they make no sense. Here’s what people in Japan actually mean by them.
腹が立つhara ga tatsu
BeginnerWord for word: “the belly stands up”
To get angry
電車で足を踏まれたのに、謝りもしない。本当に腹が立つ。 Someone stepped on my foot on the train and didn’t even say sorry. It makes me so angry.
Fine at work顔が広いkao ga hiroi
BeginnerWord for word: “to have a wide face”
To know lots of people
田中さんは顔が広いから、きっといいお店を知ってるよ。 Tanaka knows everyone, so he’s bound to know a good place.
Fine at work骨が折れるhone ga oreru
BeginnerWord for word: “the bones break”
To take a lot of work
引っ越しの準備、思ったより骨が折れた。 Getting ready for the move was more work than I thought.
Fine at work耳が痛いmimi ga itai
IntermediateWord for word: “my ears hurt”
That hits close to home
「もっと早く寝なよ」って言われると、耳が痛い。 When people tell me to go to bed earlier, it hits close to home.
Fine at work油を売るabura o uru
IntermediateWord for word: “to sell oil”
To dawdle, slack off
どこで油を売ってたの？ずっと待ってたんだけど。 Where have you been dawdling? I’ve been waiting ages.
With friends目がないme ga nai
IntermediateWord for word: “to have no eyes”
To be crazy about something
彼女は甘いものに目がない。 She can’t resist anything sweet.
Fine at work口が軽いkuchi ga karui
IntermediateWord for word: “to have a light mouth”
Can’t keep a secret
あの人は口が軽いから、この話は内緒にしてね。 He can’t keep a secret, so keep this between us.
With friends猫をかぶるneko o kaburu
AdvancedWord for word: “to wear a cat”
To put on a nice act
彼、最初のデートでは猫をかぶってたけど、本当はすごくにぎやかな人だよ。 He was all quiet and polite on the first date, but he’s actually really loud.
With friendsちょっと微妙chotto bimyō
AdvancedWord for word: “a little subtle”
Kind of meh
「新しいカフェ、どうだった？」「うーん、ちょっと微妙。」 “How was the new café?” “Hmm, kind of meh.”
With friends空気を読むkūki o yomu
AdvancedWord for word: “to read the air”
To read the room
今その話はやめて。空気読んで。 Drop that topic right now. Read the room.
With friends
Questions
Are these expressions still used?
Yes, every day. The quiz leaves out anything dated or crude, and every answer tells you where it’s safe to say: fine at work, with friends, or best avoided.
Why does the quiz go from beginner to advanced?
The first three are common and you’ll hear them early on. The last three need nuance, like sarcasm or mood, which is where most learners lose the thread.
What do I get if I unlock the 15?
A free deck with all 25 expressions, added for you when you finish setting up: the 10 from the quiz (the ones you missed first, each with its example), then the 15 new ones. Every card has audio and comes back for review just before you’d forget it.
Do I need to read hiragana or kanji?
No. Every expression shows romaji too, so you can play before you read a single kana. The examples are in Japanese script, each with an English line.