Welcome back to our first “Video & Article” series with tutor Miki. In this article and video we will take a look at nine different idioms that use the Japanese word for “head” (頭) in Japanese. Idioms make your spoken Japanese sound very natural, and having a few up your sleeve will allow you to surprise your Japanese friends and co-workers!
| Table of Contents [1) 頭 が切 れる] [2) 頭 が下 がる] [3) 頭 が上 がらない] [4) 頭 に置 く] [5) 頭 を冷 やす] [6) 頭 を丸 める] [7) 頭 にくる] [8) 頭 に血 が上 がる] [9) 頭 を抱 える] |
[1) 頭 が切 れる]
The first idiom we will learn is “頭 が切 れる”. “切れる” is the potential form of “切る” and means “to be able to cut”. So, what does it mean if “a head is able to cut”? A similar English expression would be to call someone “sharp”, as in intelligent. “頭 が切 れる” also has a nuance of someone being street-smart or clever. For example, if you say “あの新人 は頭 が切 れる”, it means “That new guy at work is street-smart”. This is how you can use this idiom in a conversation:| A: 新入社員 のプロジェクト、難 しい状況 だったけどうまくいったらしいね。 |
| A: I’ve heard that the new employee’s project went really well though the situation was not easy. |
| B: そうそう、あの新人 頭 が切 れるからね。 |
| B: Yeah, because that new employee is really clever. |
[2) 頭 が下 がる]
The next idiom is “頭 が下 がる”. This literally means that your head is being lowered. This idiom is used when you want to convey that you have a great admiration, gratefulness, and respect for someone’s courtesy. Even today Japanese people bow and lower their heads to pay their respect and to express gratitude. “素晴 らしい心遣 いに頭 が下 がる”, meaning that a person’s thoughtfulness is admirable, is a common expression using this idiom. Let’s see how this is used in dialogue:| A: キミのアシスタントが全 て手配 を済 ませてくれたよ。 |
| A: Your assistant has finished all of the arrangements for me. |
| B: そうですか。彼女 の心遣 いには頭 が下 がるよ。 |
| B: Oh yeah? I can’t thank her enough for her thoughtfulness. |
[3) 頭 が上 がらない]
“頭 が上 がらない” is another way of saying that you respect the person or the person’s behavior so much so that you cannot look her/him in the eye. Alternatively, this idiom can also convey that you are aware you did something wrong or have already accepted your defeat against someone:| 僕 は奥 さんに頭 が上 がらない。 |
| I’m no match for my wife. |
[4) 頭 に置 く]
“頭 に置 く” literally translates to “to put something on your head”. What this idiom actually means when a Japanese person uses it is to tell someone “to keep something in mind”. So when you want someone to remember something important, you can say:| 頭 に置 いておいてください。 |
| Please keep this in mind. |
| 先生 ：ここはテストに出 るので頭 に置 いておいてください。 |
| Teacher: This will come up in the test, so make sure to remember it. |
[5) 頭 を冷 やす]
“頭 を冷 やす” actually exists as a similar expression in English. It means “to cool down one’s head”. Here is how you can use it in a conversation:| A: あれ？彼 どこ行 ったの？ |
| A: Oh, where did he go? |
| B: 保存 していたデータが全部 消 えて、そうとうショックだったみたい。散歩 をして頭 を冷 やす、って出 ていったよ。 |
| B: He was really upset about losing all the files in his laptop. He said he was going for a walk to cool down his head and left. |
[6) 頭 を丸 める]
“頭 を丸 める” means “to shave one’s head” and is an expression that is very unique to Japanese culture. In order to show regret for doing something, people in Japan may sometimes shave their head as an apology. This is said to originate from Buddhist monks shaving their heads. In modern Japanese society, the act of shaving one’s head is used as a metaphor for one’s regret and to show remorse, so people do not actually want to shave off their hair when they say “頭 を丸 める”. When someone tells you to 頭 丸 めて来 い, you also do not have to shave off your hair, but it means that you should probably think about what you have done and show some remorse.Here is what this idiom could look like in a conversation:
| A: 君 、昨夜 酔 いすぎて取引 がうまくいかなかったそうだな。 |
| A: I’ve heard that you were too drunk to make a deal last night. |
| B: はい、すみません。頭 丸 めてきます。 |
| B: Yes you’re right. I’m so sorry. |
[7) 頭 にくる]
“頭 にくる” means that something is getting to your head - in other words, this means that someone is mad or angry:| A: 僕 のパソコンがプレゼン中 にアップデートを始 めた。 |
| A: My laptop started updating itself while I was in the middle of giving my presentation. |
| B: それは頭 にくるね。 |
| B: That would make anyone angry. |
[8) 頭 に血 が上 がる]
Another idiom to express frustration using “頭” is “頭 に血 が上 がる” - the blood is going into your head. The image is clear: You are so angry that your head goes all red! You may have noticed that the word “head” in Japanese idioms is often associated with anger or frustration. “頭 に血 が上 がる” could be used like this in a sentence:| 私 の上司 は、今 、頭 に血 が上 っていて冷静 になれない。 |
| My boss is so angry he can’t think clearly right now. |
[9) 頭 を抱 える]
The last idiom, “頭 を抱 える”, literally translates to “carrying one’s head in one’s arms”. This idiom means that you feel very troubled, so much so that you have to bury your head in your arms to think very hard about how to get out of your trouble.We’ve covered quite a few idioms today. 多 すぎて頭 を抱 えてないですか？
That is all for today's lesson. If you have any questions you can always clear them up by booking a lesson with one of our native Japanese tutors. See you next time!
単語リスト（Vocabulary list）
| 慣用句 | Idiom |
| 頭 | Head |
| 頭 が切 れる | To be clever, to be street-smart |
| 状況 | Situation, circumstances |
| 新人 | Newcomer, new team-member |
| 頭 が下 がる | To admire greatly, to take one’s hat off to |
| 手配 | Arrangements |
| 済 ませる | To finish |
| 心遣 い | Consideration, thoughtfulness |
| 頭 が上 がらない | To be no match for someone/something |
| 頭 に置 く | (Used in imperative, as in: “頭に置いて” or “頭に置ておいて”)To keep in mind |
| 頭 を冷 やす | To cool down one’s anger |
| 保存 する | To save |
| 頭 を丸 める | To shave one’s head in apology, to be remorseful |
| 酔 う | To get drunk |
| 取引 | Dealings, business |
| 頭 にくる | To get mad, to be very offended, to get pissed off |
| 頭 に血 が上 る | To get angry, to lose one’s cool |
| 上司 | Boss |
| 冷静 | Calm, cool, composed |
| 頭 を抱 える | To be troubled, to be at one’s wits ends |