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1 | Here are over 3,000 four-character idioms (四字熟語) with meanings in English. The main sources of this data are Haitani and ALC (see web addresses below). | ||||||||||||
2 | I've given them ratings A (common) to F (very rare) to indicate approximate frequency of use. | ||||||||||||
3 | |||||||||||||
4 | Haitani web site | See note on Sheet2 | ALC web site | ||||||||||
5 | Number | 四字熟語 | Meanings in English (mostly from Haitani) | Frequency | KanKen Level | KK level each kanji | Kana | Power Japanese book page | ALC (no.) | ALC example (English) | ALC example (Japanese) | ALC example (Explanations) | |
6 | 569 | 気分転換 | change of pace; change of mood; mental diversion; refreshment of the spirit; a break | A | 3 | 5553 | きぶんてんかん | ||||||
7 | 882 | 五十音順 | the order of the Japanese syllabary; kana order; (in) a-i-u-e-o order | A | 5 | 5555 | ごじゅうおんじゅん | ||||||
8 | 1016 | 四季折々 | from season to season; season by season; of each season; in each season | A | 5 | 5555 | しきおりおり | ||||||
9 | 1052 | 自己満足 | self-satisfaction; (self-) complacency | A | 5 | 5555 | じこまんぞく | 71 | |||||
10 | 1120 | 質疑応答 | questions and answers; a Q and A session | A | 5 | 5555 | しつぎおうとう | ||||||
11 | 1190 | 自由自在 | freely; in complete control of; with complete freedom; at will; as one pleases | A | 5 | 5555 | じゆうじざい | 79 | |||||
12 | 3298 | 賞味期限 | use-by date | A | 5 | 5555 | しょうみきげん | ||||||
13 | 3292 | 新品同様 | Good as new | A | 5 | 5555 | しんぴんどうよう | ||||||
14 | 1420 | 信頼関係 | relationship of mutual trust; trusting each other deeply | A | 4 | 5455 | しんらいかんけい | ||||||
15 | 2159 | 年末年始 | the New Year's holiday; the period encompassing the close of the old year and the start of the new year | A | 5 | 5555 | ねんまつねんし | ||||||
16 | 2304 | 誹謗中傷 | slander; calumny | A | 1 | 1155 | ひぼうちゅうしょう | ||||||
17 | 2388 | 無事終了 | ending without incident; being successfully brought to completion; finishing something without a hitch | A | 3 | 5553 | ぶじしゅうりょう | ||||||
18 | 2617 | 無理矢理 | forcibly; against one's will; under compulsion | A | 5 | 5555 | むりやり | ||||||
19 | 2718 | 行方不明 | missing; lost; unaccounted for; whereabouts being unknown [uncertain] | A | 5 | 5555 | ゆくえふめい | 149 | |||||
20 | 3104 | 役割分担 | division [distribution] of roles; role-sharing | A | 5 | 5555 | やくわりぶんたん | ||||||
21 | 3096 | 目玉商品 | loss leader; price leader; eye-catcher; come-on | A | 5 | 5555 | めだましょうひん | ||||||
22 | 3125 | 留意事項 | points to note; points of concern; matters to keep in mind; matters that require attention | A | 4 | 5554 | りゅういじこう | ||||||
23 | 3147 | 露天風呂 | open-air bath; hot spring bath set in the open | A | 1 | 4551 | ろてんぶろ | ||||||
24 | 22 | 悪戦苦闘 | hard [desperate] struggle; fighting against heavy odds | B + | 4 | 5554 | あくせんくとう | 14 | 4 | After an uphill struggle against great odds, they finally got the company on its feet again. | 悪戦苦闘の末、ようやく彼は事業を立ち直らせた。 | an uphill struggle against great oddsで「見込みのない中で、必死になってもがく」の意味になります。 | |
25 | 135 | 一目瞭然 | patently obvious; plain to anyone; as clear as day | B + | 1 | 5515 | いちもくりょうぜん | 24 | 26 | • Your opinion is off the mark. That's plain to anyone. • Whoever listens to it would see that your opinion is skewed. | 君の意見がおかしいのは、誰の目にも一目瞭然でしょうが。 | plain to anyoneで「誰にとってもはっきりしている、明白だ」の意。skewed「曲がっている、公正さを欠いている」。 | |
26 | 170 | 一生懸命 | very hard; with utmost effort; for dear life; frantically | B + | 2 | 5525 | いっしょうけんめい | 30 | 36 | Sure, it's important to give everything you do all you've got. But sometimes you also need to let yourself relax. | なんでも一生懸命やればいいってものじゃない。ときには肩の力を抜くことも必要だ | give ... all you've gotで「... に全力を傾ける」という意味になります。 | |
27 | 561 | 喜怒哀楽 | human emotions [joy, anger, sorrow, and humor] | B + | 3 | 5435 | きどあいらく | 53 | 76 | • His feelings show on his face. • His face always betrays his feelings. • You can always tell what he's feeling just by looking at his face. | あいつは喜怒哀楽がすぐに顔に出るからな。 | His feelings show on his face.とは「彼は感情が顔に出る」という意味。betray「裏切る」。 | |
28 | 627 | 興味津々 | very interesting; of absorbing interest; having a keen interest (in); being immensely curious (about) | B + | 2 | 5525 | きょうみしんしん | 82 | Everyone is dying to find out more about the next generation of hand-held computer devices. | 次世代の携帯端末にみんな興味津津だ。 | ここでは「興味津々」をdie to find about more about ... 「…についてしきりにもっと知りたがる」で表現しています。 | ||
29 | 826 | 公序良俗 | public order and morals [decency]; public peace and good order | B + | 4 | 5554 | こうじょりょうぞく | 102 | • There are so many anti-smoking campaigns these days, maybe it really is a threat to the public peace / to public order. • There's such a huge public outcry against smoking these days. Maybe it really is a great threat to society. | これだけ禁煙、禁煙といわれる以上、喫煙というのは公序良俗に反する行為なんだろうね | 「公序良俗」とは「公の秩序と道徳」ということですからthe public peace「公的治安」で表現すればいいでしょう。 | ||
30 | 997 | 三位一体 | the Holy Trinity; a unity of three different elements | B + | 5 | 5555 | さんみいったい | 118 | The depth and richness of this soup comes from a trinity of flavor components -- spiciness, sourness and sweetness. | このスープは、辛さ、酸っぱさ、そして甘さが三位一体となって奥深い味を醸し出している | trinityが「三位一体」に当たる表現です。depth「深み」、richness「濃厚、豊富」。 | ||
31 | 1025 | 四苦八苦 | be in dire distress; have a real struggle | B + | 5 | 5555 | しくはっく | 68 | 120 | • You look like you're having a lot of trouble setting up that home page. Want some help? • You're really sweating bullets trying to set up that home page. Can I help you out? | ホームページ作りに四苦八苦してるようだけど、手伝ってあげようか。 | have a lot of trouble ... ingで「... するのにすごく苦労している」の意味になります。sweat bullets「必死になってやる」。Want some help?の前にはDo youが省略されています。 | |
32 | 2554 | 三日坊主 | one who can stick to nothing; one who has no perseverance; an unsteady worker | B + | 4 | 5545 | みっかぼうず | 142 | 252 | If I tried to keep a diary I would never keep it up. | 日記なんかつけたって三日坊主になるに決まってるさ。 | 「三日坊主」とはnever keep it up（長続きしない）ということですね。 | |
33 | 2817 | 老若男女 | men and women of all ages; young and old, men and women alike | B + | 5 | 5555 | ろうにゃくなんにょ | 157 | 294 | A famous actor was doing a photo shoot out in front of the station, and men and women of all descriptions, young and old alike, crowded around trying to get a look. | 有名な俳優が駅前で写真撮影をしていることを知って、老若男女すべてが姿をひとめ見ようと集まってきた。 | men and women of all descriptions（あらゆるタイプ／種類の男性と女性）とyoung and old alike（若い人も歳を取った人も同じように）を使って「老若男女」を表現しています。 | |
34 | 11 | 青空市場 | open-air market; outdoor market; outdoor bazaar | B + | 5 | 5555 | あおぞらいちば | ||||||
35 | 3310 | 安全第一 | safety first | B + | 5 | 5555 | あんぜんだいいち | ||||||
36 | 75 | 意思表示 | declaration of intention; manifestation of intent; expressing one's will | B + | 5 | 5555 | いしひょうじ | ||||||
37 | 2878 | 一所懸命 | 1) very hard; with utmost effort; for dear life; frantically; 2) sticking at living in one place; samurai in earlier feudal times staking his livelihood on his fief | B + | 2 | 5525 | いっしょけんめい | ||||||
38 | 2841 | 一般公開 | Lit: General opening open to the public, on general release | B + | 4 | 5455 | いっぱんこうかい | 36 | |||||
39 | 2887 | 一般常識 | plain old common sense; common knowledge; what everybody knows | B + | 4 | 5455 | いっぱんじょうしき | ||||||
40 | 224 | 因果関係 | cause-and-effect relationship; causality | B + | 5 | 5555 | いんがかんけい | ||||||
41 | 2896 | 栄養満点 | highly nourishing [nutritious]; earning top marks nutrition-wise | B + | 5 | 5555 | えいようまんてん | ||||||
42 | 2911 | 価格破壊 | collapse in prices; market-destructive price-slashing (tactics) | B + | 4 | 5554 | かかくはかい | ||||||
43 | 404 | 各種学校 | vocational school; trade school; school for nonacademic subjects | B + | 5 | 5555 | かくしゅがっこう | ||||||
44 | 2920 | 下方修正 | downward adjustment; downward revision | B + | 5 | 5555 | かほうしゅうせい | ||||||
45 | 478 | 関係会社 | affiliated company; subsidiary company | B + | 5 | 5555 | かんけいがいしゃ | ||||||
46 | 489 | 冠婚葬祭 | important ceremonial occasions in family relationships; the ceremonies of coming-of-age, marriage, funeral, and ancestor worship | B + | 3 | 3435 | かんこんそうさい | ||||||
47 | 2844 | 感情移入 | Lit: emotion moves in empathy | B + | 5 | 5555 | かんじょういにゅう | 48 | |||||
48 | 501 | 官能小説 | amorous [erotic] novel; pornographic novel | B + | 5 | 5555 | かんのうしょうせつ | ||||||
49 | 547 | 規制緩和 | easing of restraints [regulations]; relaxation of controls; deregulation | B + | 3 | 5535 | きせいかんわ | ||||||
50 | 595 | 今日明日 | 1 today and tomorrow; today or tomorrow; in a day or two; 2 (something that may happen) very soon [any day now] | B + | 5 | 5555 | きょうあす | ||||||
51 | 670 | 緊急事態 | state of emergency; exigency; crisis | B + | 3 | 3555 | きんきゅうじたい | ||||||
52 | 758 | 原因不明 | cause unknown; from an unknown cause; of (an) unknown origin | B + | 5 | 5555 | げんいんふめい | ||||||
53 | 3154 | 効果抜群 | exceptionally effective; overwhelming effectiveness | B + | 4 | 5545 | こうかばつぐん | ||||||
54 | 3287 | 誤字脱字 | an answer sheet full of omissions and mistakes | B + | 4 | 5545 | ごじだつじ | ||||||
55 | 2954 | 左右対称 | bilateral symmetry | B + | 4 | 5554 | さゆうたいしょう | ||||||
56 | 996 | 賛否両論 | the pros and cons | B + | 5 | 5555 | さんぴりょうろん | ||||||
57 | 2965 | 至近距離 | close range; point-blank range | B + | 4 | 5544 | しきんきょり | ||||||
58 | 1028 | 試行錯誤 | trial and error | B + | 3 | 5535 | しこうさくご | 69 | |||||
59 | 1035 | 自己啓発 | self-development; self-enlightenment | B + | 3 | 5535 | じこけいはつ | ||||||
60 | 1038 | 自己主張 | self-assertion; self-assertiveness | B + | 5 | 5555 | じこしゅちょう | ||||||
61 | 1047 | 自己負担 | payment of one's own expenses; bearing one's own expenses; an individual's share of an expense | B + | 5 | 5555 | じこふたん | ||||||
62 | 1069 | 四捨五入 | rounding (off) | B + | 5 | 5555 | ししゃごにゅう | 71 | |||||
63 | 2977 | 四柱推命 | Four Pillar astrology; originally Chinese method of fortune-telling based on the time, date, month and year of a person's birth | B + | 5 | 5555 | しちゅうすいめい | ||||||
64 | 3211 | 地場産業 | local industry | B + | 5 | 5555 | じばさんぎょう | ||||||
65 | 1156 | 自分勝手 | (very) selfish; self-centered; egoistic; without consulting anybody (else) | B + | 5 | 5555 | じぶんかって・じぶんがって | ||||||
66 | 1158 | 自分自身 | oneself; one's self | B + | 5 | 5555 | じぶんじしん | ||||||
67 | 3213 | 指名手配 | search for a named suspect | B + | 5 | 5555 | しめいてはい | ||||||
68 | 2985 | 上下左右 | up and down [top and bottom], left and right | B + | 5 | 5555 | じょうげさゆう | ||||||
69 | 2988 | 上方修正 | upward adjustment; upward revision | B + | 5 | 5555 | じょうほうしゅうせい | ||||||
70 | 1357 | 人権擁護 | protection of human rights; safeguarding [defending] human rights | B + | 3 | 5535 | じんけんようご | ||||||
71 | 1404 | 新陳代謝 | the body's metabolism; replacement of the old with the new; regeneration | B + | 3 | 5355 | しんちんたいしゃ | ||||||
72 | 3005 | 成功報酬 | fee contingent upon success; contingency fee; completion bonus | B + | 2 | 5552 | せいこうほうしゅう | ||||||
73 | 1496 | 正々堂々 | fair and square; open and aboveboard | B + | 5 | 5555 | せいせいどうどう | 96 | |||||
74 | 1570 | 専業主婦 | full-time housewife | B + | 5 | 5555 | せんぎょうしゅふ | ||||||
75 | 1622 | 先端技術 | cutting-edge technology; state-of-the-art technology | B + | 4 | 5455 | せんたんぎじゅつ | ||||||
76 | 1625 | 前提条件 | precondition; prerequisite; premise | B + | 5 | 5555 | ぜんていじょうけん | ||||||
77 | 1659 | 創意工夫 | being imaginative and creative; creative originality; originality and ingenuity | B + | 5 | 5555 | そういくふう | ||||||
78 | 1669 | 相互作用 | (mutual) interaction; reciprocal action; interplay | B + | 4 | 5455 | そうごさよう | ||||||
79 | 1677 | 相乗効果 | synergy; combined effect | B + | 5 | 5555 | そうじょうこうか | ||||||
80 | 3243 | 存在意義 | meaning of life; meaning of one's existence | B + | 5 | 5555 | そんざいいぎ | ||||||
81 | 1717 | 第一印象 | first impression; initial impression | B + | 5 | 5555 | だいいちいんしょう | ||||||
82 | 1758 | 対戦相手 | opponent; adversary; the competition; the other side; an [the] enemy | B + | 5 | 5555 | たいせんあいて | ||||||
83 | 1799 | 多種多様 | a great variety of; all sorts or kinds of; diverse; multifarious | B + | 5 | 5555 | たしゅたよう | ||||||
84 | 1822 | 単身赴任 | job transfer not accompanied by one's family; taking up a new post leaving one's family behind | B + | 3 | 5535 | たんしんふにん | 109 | |||||
85 | 1861 | 中途半端 | halfway; half measures; half-hearted; half-baked; betwixt and between | B + | 4 | 5454 | ちゅうとはんぱ | 111 | |||||
86 | 3029 | 追跡調査 | follow-up study [survey] | B + | 4 | 5455 | ついせきちょうさ | ||||||
87 | 3037 | 同一人物 | the (very) same person; one and the same (person) | B + | 5 | 5555 | どういつじんぶつ | ||||||
88 | 2005 | 東西南北 | north, south, east and west [Literally: east, west, south and north]; the four cardinal points of the compass; all directions | B + | 5 | 5555 | とうざいなんぼく | ||||||
89 | 2037 | 得意分野 | one's field of expertise | B + | 5 | 5555 | とくいぶんや | ||||||
90 | 2112 | 日曜大工 | do-it-yourself carpenter; weekend carpenter; do-it-yourselfer | B + | 5 | 5555 | にちようだいく | 120 | |||||
91 | 2136 | 人間関係 | human [personal] relations [relationships] | B + | 5 | 5555 | にんげんかんけい | ||||||
92 | 2153 | 年中無休 | open every day of the year; open all year long | B + | 5 | 5555 | ねんじゅうむきゅう | ||||||
93 | 3061 | 半永久的 | semipermanent | B + | 5 | 5555 | はんえいきゅうてき | ||||||
94 | 2298 | 一人一人 | one by one; one at a time; one after another; from person to person; depending on the individual; each and every person | B + | 5 | 5555 | ひとりひとり・ひとりびとり | ||||||
95 | 3067 | 百人一首 | One Hundred Tanka Poems by One Hundred Celebrated Poets; (playing) cards of one hundred famous poems | B + | 5 | 5555 | ひゃくにんいっしゅ | ||||||
96 | 3299 | 物々交換 | barter | B + | 3 | 5553 | ぶつぶつこうかん | ||||||
97 | 2434 | 不良債権 | non-performing loan; bad loan | B + | 3 | 5535 | ふりょうさいけん | ||||||
98 | 3079 | 方向転換 | change of course; change of direction; turnabout; about-face | B + | 3 | 5553 | ほうこうてんかん | ||||||
99 | 3083 | 本末転倒 | mistaking the insignificant for the essential; getting one's priorities backwards; putting the cart before the horse; mistaking the cause for the end | B + | 4 | 5554 | ほんまつてんとう | ||||||
100 | 3084 | 本領発揮 | show [display] one's real ability; illustrate the distinctive character of (something) | B + | 5 | 5555 | ほんりょうはっき | ||||||
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