101 Common Japanese Idioms in Plain English

Discover 101 useful Japanese idioms.

Ever wondered what it means when your mouth is 'heavy,' how to 'use people with your chin,' or what 'grinding sesame' signifies in Japanese? Uncover the meanings behind these fascinating idioms and many more.

While this book is immensely beneficial even for beginners, hiragana and a basic understanding of Japanese sentence structure are required.

Once one zooms beyond the basics of a language, idiomatic expressions, proverbs, and slang can provide the spice to keep motivation up and progress going forward. This book will introduce 101 of the most common Japanese idioms.

We are including, at no extra charge, sound files for all the examples found in this book. Use these files to practice your pronunciation and listening.

In addition, we are also including a free Anki deck with sound of all the idioms found in the collection. Anki is a free flashcard software that will help you quickly remember these idioms.

In this edition, we've reorganized all the idioms into logical categories, making learning more efficient. We've also eliminated all rōmaji (Roman letters) and limited Furigana (the small Hiragana over Kanji) to its first occurrence in each lesson. This approach may challenge beginners, but it's our way of ensuring your success in Japanese — consider it 'tough love. Our goal is your success in mastering Japanese. Early reliance on rōmaji and Furigana can impede long-term progress.
We believe learning vocabulary in context is the most effective method. Every idiom is followed by an example sentence and a paragraph or two explaining the context and usage.
To further support your learning journey, we're offering an exceptional collection of bonus materials:

300+ Sound Files

Anki Flashcard Deck

ePub and PDF versions of the book

An older version with romaji (not recommended but provided!)

For each idiom, we provide three accompanying sound files. All sound files have been recorded by native Japanese voice actors and actresses. The first sound file is the idiom itself. The second is the example sentence. The third sound file has the idiom, an English translation, the idiom repeated slowly, and the example sentence with translation. Try to mimic the Japanese speakers in sound and presentation. The download link for the complimentary sound files is located on the book's last page.

Don't wait any longer to enrich your Japanese vocabulary. Give your Japanese vocabulary a boost with 101 Common Japanese Idioms now.