Idioms of the World – Japan

Welcome back to our “Idioms of the World” series!

Today we are heading over to Japan.

Idiom – Kao ga hiro i
Meaning – To have many friends
English idiom – although not technically an idiom, we can say someone is a “social butterfly” if they are socially dynamic, networking, charismatic, and personally gregarious. We also say someone is “the life and soul of the party”, which means they are the most lively and amusing person present at an event.

Asian countries have some of the best proverbs and expressions, including idioms! “Having a wide face” means you have lots of friends and are well liked. It could be based on reality, as men with wide faces supposedly earn more money and are more attractive to women. Or it could come from the Chinese concept of “face”, which is where we get our own term, “losing face”, from.

Thanks Hotel Club, for sharing these images, and Marcus Oakly for creating them.