When you describe someone’s face, what kind of expressions do you use?
“She has big eyes.”
“She has freckled cheeks.”
“He has heavy bread.”
In Japan, we often talk about the eyelids, too.
If there is a wrinkle on the eyelid, it’s called 二重 (futae), “double edged eyelid”. If there isn’t a wrinkle, it’s 一重 (hitoe), “single-edged eyelid”.
If there might be a wrinkle, but you cannot see is, it’s 奥二重 (okubutae) … Hmm… I can’t describe this word in English…
Usually, people want 二重 (futae).
There are a lot of cosmetics which you use to make your eyelids seem double-edged.
Also plastic surgery for making a wrinkle on the eyelid is popular here in Japan.
Especially, when you talk about someone cute, you comment about their eyelids.
「彼女は二重でかわいいね。」
(kanojo wa futae de kawaii ne)
「二重というより奥二重じゃない？でもとにかくかわいいね！」
(futae to iuyori okubutae janai? demo tonikaku kawaii ne!)
“She has double edged eyelids and is cue.”
“She has more of 奥二重 (okubutae) than double egded eyelids, doesn’t she? She is cute anyway!”
Also, when we describe people’s faces, we use 濃い (koi) and 薄い (usui).
濃い (koi) means thick, strong, deep, dark.
薄い (usui) means thin, flat, sheer.
I’ve been thinking how I can explain those two words in English for long time, but I still have no idea.
Actually, even in Japanese, it’s quite hard to explain… But most of Japanese people understand and use those expressions.
If you know the words and have a good idea for translating to English, let me know please!
The more i read the more i think that japanese is just way too hard for me to learn. And I don't exactly get this eye wrinkle thing. I mean isn't it better without any wrinkles? Who on earth would pay somebody to make them wrinkled (not to mention that it hard to imagine this type of surgery)? But come to think of it in most western languages there are many idioms connected with eyes.
ReplyDeleteLaura> Japanese isn't that hard. The sounds are easy for an english speaker to make. But you have to realize that it's really not like western languages... the structure is VERY different. So you have to stop thinking like a westerner, and start thinking like a nihonjin.
ReplyDeleteOnce you stop trying to fit Japanese words into English sentence structures it becomes much easier to learn.
From then on it's just a matter of learning the two kana's (easy), the kanji (harder), and building your vocabulary (easy).
がんばって!
I think the terms used in the makeup world are "monolid" and "double eyelid". :)
ReplyDeleteI would probably translate 濃い as 'heavy complexion' and 薄い as 'fair complexion'.
ReplyDeleteI think 'complexion' translates as 顔色 (かおいろ) in Japanese, but in English it doesn't only refer to the colour, but also the shape of the face.
The Genealogy of “Salt Face” http://ignition.co/469 Usui-kao refers to a pure, elegant Japanese face; koi-kao to a deep-chiseled Western-style face.
ReplyDeleteToday, most Japanese girls seem to favor the lightly-seasoned faces – and when Japanese people think of a “light” flavor, salt is often the first thing that comes to their minds. If you’ve ever eaten ramen you’ll understand why – in Japanese noodle joints, the only thing thinner than shōyu ramen is shio ramen.