Each Japanese idiom below comes with what its words literally say, what it means and how other languages put the same idea. To see every language at once, open the side-by-side page for talking.
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お茶を濁す
ocha o nigosu
lit. ‘to make the tea cloudy’
To avoid saying the important thing directly.
Elsewhere
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To tease someone by telling them something untrue as a joke.
Elsewhere
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To reveal a secret, often by accident.
Elsewhere
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To lie shamelessly while knowing full well it isn't true.
Elsewhere
- EN Lie through your teeth
- FR Mentir comme un arracheur de dents
- DE Lügen wie gedruckt
- ES Mentir más que hablar
- IT Mentire per la gola
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To say or do something tactless that embarrasses you or upsets someone.
Elsewhere
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To jump suddenly from one topic to a completely unrelated one.
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針小棒大
shinshō bōdai
lit. ‘needle-small, pole-big’
To treat a small problem as if it were a big one.
Phrases in bold with a red marker are written up. The rest are waiting for their own page and a check by a native speaker.