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慣用句 (Idioms)

Sound native with common Japanese idioms and set phrases.

Lesson

Common idioms:

猫の手も借りたい (neko no te mo karitai) — so busy you'd borrow a cat's paw
頭が痛い (atama ga itai) — a headache (a worrying problem)
腹が立つ (hara ga tatsu) — to get angry (stomach stands up)
お腹が空いた (onaka ga suita) — to be hungry

Vocabulary

Japanese	English	Example
猫の手も借りたい	Extremely busy	忙しくて猫の手も借りたい。
腹が立つ	To get angry	それを聞いて腹が立った。
お腹が空いた	To be hungry	お腹が空いた。
よろしくお願いします	Please (treat me well)	これからよろしくお願いします。
お疲れ様	Thanks for your hard work	お疲れ様でした。
仕方がない	It can't be helped	仕方がないですね。

Pronunciation

Word	Phonetic	Tip
猫の手も借りたい		Idiom for being extremely busy
腹が立つ		Literally "the stomach stands" = to get angry
よろしく		Set phrase asking for goodwill/favour

Grammar tip

Body-part idioms: Many Japanese idioms use body parts figuratively (頭, 腹, 手). Learn them as whole units — literal translation rarely works.

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