EXAMPLES
1. Boku ga uchi no daikoku-bashira ni natte, ganbarimasu.
I'll become the breadwinner in the house and try my best.
2. Kare ga daikoku-bashira de wa, tayori ni narimasen ne.
He is unreliable as a breadwinner.
3. Kare wa nagai aida, kono kaisha no daikoku-bashira datta.
For a long time, he was the pillar of this company.
4. Ie no daikoku-bashira ga inaku natte, taihen da.
Things are difficult at our house since we lost our breadwinner.
5. Daikoku-bashira no kare ni tayori-sugite wa kawaisō desu yo.
It's unfair that people depend on him so much as their mainstay.
daikon yakusha
poor actor
TSUMA:
Kono haiyū, suteki da wa.
OTTO:
Mikake wa yokute mo, daikon yakusha de wa shiyō ga nai yo.
WIFE:
This actor is so handsome.
HUSBAND:
He may be good-looking but that's not much use when he's such a lousy actor.
Daikon yakusha describes an actor with no talent. There are a few theories as to why daikon (Japanese radish) is employed in this expression. One theory claims that since the roots of the Japanese radish are shiroi (white), there is a relation to the sound of the word shirōto (amateur, novice). Another claims no matter how radish is eaten, it does not upset (ataranai) the stomach. This is the same ataranai that refers to an actor not hitting it off well with an audience.
EXAMPLES
1. Kare wa daikon yakusha desu ne.
He is a lousy actor, isn't he.
2. Shuyaku ga daikon yakusha de wa, omoshiroku arimasen yo.
The play isn't interesting, what with the leading actor being such a ham!
3. Kanojo ga anna ni daikon yakusha da to wa omowanakatta.
I didn't think that her acting would be so wooden.
4. Kare wa daikon dakara, yamesasemasho.
Since he's a poor actor, let's dismiss him.
dairokkan
sixth sense, intuition.
TOMODACHI 1:
Kanojo, kimi no koto suki mitai da ne.
TOMODACHI 2:
Dōshite wakaru?
TOMODACHI 1:
Boku no dairokkan ga hatarakun' da.
FRIEND 1:
It seems that she likes you.
FRIEND 2:
How do you know?
FRIEND 1:
It's just a feeling.
Dairokkan is one's intuition or sixth sense. Human beings possess five senses, namely sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. Many people believe there is also a sixth sense (dairokkan) that enables one to intuitively recognize or know something. This sense is referred to as kan (intuition).
EXAMPLES
1. Watashi no dairokkan'tte, yoku ataru no yo.
My sixth sense often proves to be right.
2. Kimi no dairokkan nante ate ni naranai yo.
Your intuition cannot be depended upon.
3. Dairokkan de, kono senshu ga marason ni katsu'tte pin to kitan' da.
I could feel it in my bones that this athlete would win the marathon.
4. Dairokkan ni tayori-sugite wa ikenai yo.
You shouldn't rely too much on a hunch.
dame-oshi suru
double-check
TOMODACHI 1:
Kare, hontō ni tenisu oshiete kurerun' deshō ne?
TOMODACHI 2:
Daijobu da to omou kedo, ichio dame-oshi shite okimasu yo.
FRIEND 1:
Do you think he'll really teach us tennis?
FRIEND 2:
I think it'll be all right, but I'll double-check with him just to be sure.
Dame-oshi suru has two meanings: the first is to double-check something, and the second is to add up the points (in a game, for example) even when it is fairly clear who is winning and who is losing. This meaning derives originally from the game of go, where the word dame refers to a neutral square that is not controlled by either player. Moves that lead to the forming of such squares need to be very carefully calculated before they are played.
EXAMPLES
1. Ashita no kaigi no ken, buchō ni dame-oshi shite okimashō.
Let's double-check with the boss about tomorrow's meeting.
2. Watashi no an ga saiyō sareru ka, dame-oshi shite kudasai.
Could you make doubly sure that he's going to accept my proposals?
3. Kare ni sonna ni dame-oshi suru hitsuyō wa arimasen.
There's no need to check more than once with him.
4. Kare wa dame-oshi sareru to iya ni nam tachi desu.
He tends
