Intro (甘く見る)
This is the first in our series of lessons on 慣用句 (かんようく // idiomatic phrases).
A 慣用句 is a combination of two or more words that altogether form some kind of special meaning.
Generally speaking, they equate to phrasal idioms in English.
Imagine phrases like "burn one's bridges," "sink one's teeth into something," "turn a blind eye," etc.
Although it seems to me that phrasal idioms are more pervasive in English, there are in fact thousands of 慣用句 in Japanese. I have a 500-page 慣用句 dictionary sitting beside me as I type these words.
There's just one problem with something like a 慣用句 dictionary, though: For us non-native speakers, it's extremely difficult to know which phrases are commonly used in everyday Japanese and which ones are outdated or rarely used.
On the plus side, we can just rely on NihongoShark's native Japanese speakers (namely, Rei) to point out which 慣用句 are useful and how we should be using them.
So, without further ado, please allow me to walk you through the template our 慣用句 lessons will be following.
Tangent!
If we look at the (Heisig) meanings of the kanji for 慣用句, we'll find that they are:
慣 (accustomed)
用 (utilize)
句 (phrase)
In other words, "phrases" that people are "accustomed" to "utilizing" are 慣用句. Accordingly, you'll see that some dictionaries actually list the meaning of 慣用句 as "common expression," in addition to things like "idiomatic phrase" or "set phrase."
So, which is it?
Uh... does it matter? Earlier I wrote "without further ado." Does that qualify as an idiom or is it simply a set phrase or common expression? Does anyone care, or am I all alone in the world?
Lesson Walkthrough
In our 慣用句 lessons, we'll start by introducing a target phrase:
甘く見る
あまく みる
to take lightly; to not take seriously; to underestimate
Literally: "sweetly + see / view."
Then we'll list a Japanese definition, along with a (loose) translation of that definition:
物事をたいしたことがないと、軽く見なす。なめる。
ものごと を たいした こと が ない と、 かるく みなす。 なめる。
to view something lightly, as though it is not important or significant; to underestimate
Literally: "thing + を + trivial / unimportant (=important / significant + thing + が + there isn't / doesn't have) + と, + lightly + view. + underestimate / take lightly."
Source: goo辞書
Then we'll give a few examples, often including the situations in which they would be used:
Let's say that our speaker is (1) an adult, (2) a seasoned tennis player, and (3) considers himself to be quite good at tennis. He found himself in a tennis match with a 16-year old boy, and he thought beating him would be a piece of cake, only to get absolutely obliterated.
Looking back on his defeat, he says...
子供だからと甘くみていたら、こてんぱんにやられた。
こども だから と あまく みていたら、 こてんぱん に やられた。
I underestimated him because he was a kid, and I got my ass beat [I got destroyed].
Literally: “child + since (he) is + と + when/if I underestimated (him) (=sweetly + when I was looking), + (beaten) black and blue / terribly (beaten) + に + was done.”
Your friend told you that she has a toothache but that it's not a big enough deal to go to a dentist over.
You decide to warn her that she should not ignore cavities, saying...
虫歯を甘く見てはいけないよ。
むしば を あまく みてはいけない よ。
Cavities have to be taken seriously. // You can’t ignore cavities.
Literally: “cavity / rotten tooth + を + must not take lightly (=sweetly + must not look) + よ.”
If you're not familiar with ～てはいけない, be sure to review your N4 grammar: [NDL #623] - JLPT N4: ～てはいけない.
You're pregnant, and you think childbirth won't be all that painful.
You, a woman, have a high tolerance for pain. And besides, all these other women do it. Surely you can handle it to. In other words, you underestimate just how painful it is to give birth.
The day of the delivery, you end up telling the doctor...
どうやら私は出産の痛みを甘くみていたようです。
どうやら わたし は しゅっさん の いたみ を あまく みていた ようです。
I seem to have underestimated just how painful it is to have a baby.
Literally: “it seems that + I + は + childbirth + の + pain + を + was underestimating (=sweetly + was looking) + it seems (=ようです).”
That about sums it up.
I hope you like this lesson series/format. I know that I, for one, am very excited to write and read these lessons. While I'd like to think that I know a lot of 慣用句, I'm not the best at using them in my own speech.
Time to level up, yo.
Complete and Continue
A 慣用句 is a combination of two or more words that altogether form some kind of special meaning.
Generally speaking, they equate to phrasal idioms in English.
Imagine phrases like "burn one's bridges," "sink one's teeth into something," "turn a blind eye," etc.
Although it seems to me that phrasal idioms are more pervasive in English, there are in fact thousands of 慣用句 in Japanese. I have a 500-page 慣用句 dictionary sitting beside me as I type these words.
There's just one problem with something like a 慣用句 dictionary, though: For us non-native speakers, it's extremely difficult to know which phrases are commonly used in everyday Japanese and which ones are outdated or rarely used.
On the plus side, we can just rely on NihongoShark's native Japanese speakers (namely, Rei) to point out which 慣用句 are useful and how we should be using them.
So, without further ado, please allow me to walk you through the template our 慣用句 lessons will be following.
Tangent!
If we look at the (Heisig) meanings of the kanji for 慣用句, we'll find that they are:
慣 (accustomed)
用 (utilize)
句 (phrase)
In other words, "phrases" that people are "accustomed" to "utilizing" are 慣用句. Accordingly, you'll see that some dictionaries actually list the meaning of 慣用句 as "common expression," in addition to things like "idiomatic phrase" or "set phrase."
So, which is it?
Uh... does it matter? Earlier I wrote "without further ado." Does that qualify as an idiom or is it simply a set phrase or common expression? Does anyone care, or am I all alone in the world?
Lesson Walkthrough
In our 慣用句 lessons, we'll start by introducing a target phrase:
甘く見る
あまく みる
to take lightly; to not take seriously; to underestimate
Literally: "sweetly + see / view."
Then we'll list a Japanese definition, along with a (loose) translation of that definition:
物事をたいしたことがないと、軽く見なす。なめる。
ものごと を たいした こと が ない と、 かるく みなす。 なめる。
to view something lightly, as though it is not important or significant; to underestimate
Literally: "thing + を + trivial / unimportant (=important / significant + thing + が + there isn't / doesn't have) + と, + lightly + view. + underestimate / take lightly."
Source: goo辞書
Then we'll give a few examples, often including the situations in which they would be used:
Let's say that our speaker is (1) an adult, (2) a seasoned tennis player, and (3) considers himself to be quite good at tennis. He found himself in a tennis match with a 16-year old boy, and he thought beating him would be a piece of cake, only to get absolutely obliterated.
Looking back on his defeat, he says...
子供だからと甘くみていたら、こてんぱんにやられた。
こども だから と あまく みていたら、 こてんぱん に やられた。
I underestimated him because he was a kid, and I got my ass beat [I got destroyed].
Literally: “child + since (he) is + と + when/if I underestimated (him) (=sweetly + when I was looking), + (beaten) black and blue / terribly (beaten) + に + was done.”
Your friend told you that she has a toothache but that it's not a big enough deal to go to a dentist over.
You decide to warn her that she should not ignore cavities, saying...
虫歯を甘く見てはいけないよ。
むしば を あまく みてはいけない よ。
Cavities have to be taken seriously. // You can’t ignore cavities.
Literally: “cavity / rotten tooth + を + must not take lightly (=sweetly + must not look) + よ.”
If you're not familiar with ～てはいけない, be sure to review your N4 grammar: [NDL #623] - JLPT N4: ～てはいけない.
You're pregnant, and you think childbirth won't be all that painful.
You, a woman, have a high tolerance for pain. And besides, all these other women do it. Surely you can handle it to. In other words, you underestimate just how painful it is to give birth.
The day of the delivery, you end up telling the doctor...
どうやら私は出産の痛みを甘くみていたようです。
どうやら わたし は しゅっさん の いたみ を あまく みていた ようです。
I seem to have underestimated just how painful it is to have a baby.
Literally: “it seems that + I + は + childbirth + の + pain + を + was underestimating (=sweetly + was looking) + it seems (=ようです).”
That about sums it up.
I hope you like this lesson series/format. I know that I, for one, am very excited to write and read these lessons. While I'd like to think that I know a lot of 慣用句, I'm not the best at using them in my own speech.
Time to level up, yo.
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