顔が広い
What does this idiom mean?
First, let's break it down literally:
(pitch accent stays high after the お)
が
(subject marker particle, indicating that "face" is the subject of the phrase)
But it doesn't really mean "wide face."
While we don't have this expression in English, I think you can imagine someone with a "wide face" would be recognized and known widely.
And that's what it means.
顔が広い
someone has a lot of connections or is well-known among many people
Use this idiom to describe someone who has many acquaintances or connections. A person who is known by many people. Unlike 大きな顔をする (to look important), this idiom is largely positive.
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Let's use a Shinchan manga to illustrate its usage (and misusage). First, here are the characters:
あいちゃん – She’s a wealthy kindergartener who is in love with Shinchan (for some unknown reason)
四郎くん – a “浪人 ronin” (a student who failed the entrance exam for a university and is waiting to take it again)
しんちゃん – a 5-year old kindergartener who is always messing up Japanese! He’s oblivious to あいちゃん’s affection.
昨日は、アイドルSのお誕生日。今日は、女優Tのパーティーに呼ばれてますの。
Yesterday was Idol S's birthday. Today, I have been invited to Actress T's party.
- 昨日は yesterday [昨日 (yesterday) + は (topic marker)]
- アイドルSの Idol S's [アイドル (idol; female (usually) personality, star, heartthrob) + S (a placeholder for a name) + の (limits the “birthday” to that of “S”)]
- お誕生日 birthday [お (honorific prefix) + 誕生日 (birthday)]
- 今日は today [今日 (today) + は (topic marker)]
- 女優Tの actress T's [女優 (actress) + T (a placeholder for a name) + の (limits the “party” to that of “T”)]
- パーティーに to the party [パーティー (party) + に (to; directional or target particle)]
- 呼ばれていますの have been invited [呼ばれています (passive form of 呼ぶ, to call or to invite, in continuous tense) + の (explanatory; giving a reason or explanation)]
すごい！あいちゃん、顔が広いんだね。
Wow! Ai-chan, you are well connected, aren’t you?
- すごい！ amazing; incredible
- あいちゃん、 Ai-chan, [あいちゃん (a nickname or familiar form of address for someone named Ai)]
- 顔が広いんだね you have a wide network; you are well-connected [顔が広い (to have a wide face, idiomatically means to have many acquaintances or connections) + んだ (explanatory tone, derived from のだ) + ね (expression of agreement or confirmation)]
いやいや、四郎くんの顔の方が大きいでしょ。
No, no, your face is bigger, isn’t it?
- いやいや no, no [expression used to deny or disagree politely]
- 四郎くんの顔の方が Shirou-kun's face more so [四郎くん (Shirou-kun; a person's name) + の (possessive or descriptive particle) + 顔 (face) + の (possessive or descriptive particle) + 方 (comparative; "more" in this context) + が (subject marker)]
- 大きいでしょ bigger, right? [大きい (big; large) + でしょ (expression indicating assumption or inference; "isn't it?" or "right?")]
ちがうよ。友だちがたくさんいるってことだよ。
That's not what it means. It means to have many friends.
- ちがうよ it's different; not so [ちがう (to differ; to be different) + よ (assertive ending particle, used for emphasis)]
- 友だちがたくさんいるってことだよ means having many friends [友だち (friends) + が (subject marker) + たくさん (many; a lot) + いる (exist; to have) + ってこと (that; indicating explanation or definition) + だ (copula) + よ (emphatic ending particle)]
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Now, let's look at an example sentence for today's idiom.
あんな有名人と知り合いだなんて、顔が広いんですね。
For you to know such a famous person, you must be well connected.
- あんな such (a famous person)
- 有名人 a famous person [有名 (famous; well-known) +人 (person)]
- と with
- 知り合い acquaintance; someone you know [derived from the verb 知り合う, meaning “to get to know” or “to become acquainted with.” This noun form refers to someone with whom one has made acquaintance, emphasizing the relationship’s initial or general level of familiarity rather than close friendship.]
- なんて [a casual variation of とは (quotation marker + topic marker); it quotes something (sentence or noun) that the speaker thinks is not so ordinary in either a good or bad sense; this is followed by the speaker’s opinion about it. So, なんて connects and comes in-between what is quoted and the speaker’s opinion about it. なんて definitely implies an exclamation marker about what it quotes. It might be helpful to think of なんて as “that” as in “You are so well connected that you know such a famous person!”]
- 顔がひろい well known; well-connected [顔 (face); ひろい (wide); “wide face” implies the face is known to many people]
- んですね This is colloquial of のです (の ⇒ん); の is an explanatory particle; ん(の) can be omitted as 顔がひろいですね; ね is the sentence ender particle for asking for agreement; shows friendliness]
