Japanese Idiom 穴があったら入りたい to be so ashamed, one wishes to crawl in a hole

clay's picture
Submitted by clay on Thu, 06/21/2012 - 01:22

穴があったら入りたい

  • ana ga attara hairitai
  • to be so ashamed, one wishes to crawl in a hole
  • This idiom is used whenever someone is extremely embarrassed.
  • Literally, "If there were a hole, I'd like to enter." Also see 顔から火が出る "kao kara hi ga deru" -- burn with shame; be embarrassed.
  • ズボンのおしりが破けていたなんて知らなかった。穴があったら入りたい。
  • zubon no oshiri ga yabuketeita nante shiranakatta. ana ga attara hairitai.
  • I didn't know my pants had a hole in the back; I feel so ashamed.
Vocabulary
  • ズボン zubon -- pants
  • の no -- (possessive marker)
  • おしり oshiri -- butt; backend
  • が ga -- (subject marker)
  • やぶけていた yabukete ita -- was torn [from 破ける yabukeru to get torn; to wear out]
  • なんて nante -- such a thing as [used to emphasize the speaker didn't know; like an exclamation]
  • 知らなかった shiranakatta -- didn't know
  • 穴 ana -- hole
  • が ga -- (subject marker)
  • あったら shiranakatta -- if there was...
  • 入りたい hairitai -- (I) want to enter

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