Japanese Idiom 足が棒になる My Dogs are Barking

Japanese Idiom あしぼうになる My Dogs are Barking


Japanese Idiom with Video:

あしぼうになる – to walk one’s legs off; have very sore legs; my dogs are barking

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あしぼうになる

  • to walk one’s legs off; have very sore legs; my dogs are barking
  • Have you ever walked so much your legs feel like boards? Next time that happens, say, “あしぼうになった。”
  • Literally, “legs become staffs.” This comes from tired legs getting as stiff as a board.
  • 一日中いちにちじゅうあるいたので、あしぼうになった。
  • I walked all day, and now my legs are as stiff as a board.
Vocabulary

  • 一日いちにち — one day
  • 一日中いちにちじゅう — throughout the day [adding ちゅう or じゅう adds the meaning of “throughout” or “in the course of…”: 一年中いちねんじゅう throughout the year (every day of the year); a common sign on stores that are open throughout the year is: 年中無休ねんじゅうむきゅう open throughout the year [literally, throughout the year, no resting]; this can be used for space too: 日本中にほんじゅう throughout Japan; 町中まちじゅう throughout the town; 学校中がっこうじゅう throughout the school]
  • あるいた — walked [past of あるく to walk]
  • ので — because; therefore
  • あし — leg
  • が — [subject marker]
  • ぼう — pole; rod; stick
  • になった — became

For more on this idiom, checkout Chiyon’s Nihongo no Tamatebako which includes a few more example sentences of this useful idiom.

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