臍を噛む

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Japanese

Kanji in this term
臍 噛
ほぞ
Hyōgai 		か
Hyōgai
kun'yomi
Alternative spellings
臍を嚙む (kyūjitai)
臍を噬む (rare)

Alternative forms

  • 臍を食う (hozo o kuu, literally “to eat one's navel”)

Etymology

Phrase composed of 臍 (hozo, “navel, bellybutton”) + を (o, object particle) + 噛む (kamu, “to bite, to chew on”).[1][2][3] Compare English chew on one's nails, nail biter.

First cited to a text from 852.[1]

Pronunciation

Verb

臍(ほぞ)を噛(か)む • (hozo o kamu) godan (stem 臍(ほぞ)を噛(か)み (hozo o kami), past 臍(ほぞ)を噛(か)んだ (hozo o kanda))

  1. (literal) to bite one's own navel
  2. (idiomatic) to worry about something that hasn't happened yet; to deeply regret something that has already happened
    • From the 吾妻鏡 (Azuma Kagami),[2] early 1300s:
      なほ宥(ゆる)し沙汰有(さたあ)らんと欲(よく)するの処(ところ)、今(いま)自殺(じさつ)し畢(おわ)んぬ。後悔(こうくゎい)臍(ほぞ)を食(か)むも益(やく)無(な)し
      Nafo yurushi sata aran to yokusuru no tokoro, ima jisatsu shi owannu. Kōkwai hozo wo kamu mo yaku nashi
      They wanted to be forgiven and for the matter to be resolved, and now they've committed suicide and things are finished. There's no sense regretting it and chewing on your nails.

Conjugation

Conjugation of "臍を噛む" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)
Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective") 臍を噛ま ほぞをかま hozo o kama
Ren’yōkei ("continuative") 臍を噛み ほぞをかみ hozo o kami
Shūshikei ("terminal") 臍を噛む ほぞをかむ hozo o kamu
Rentaikei ("attributive") 臍を噛む ほぞをかむ hozo o kamu
Kateikei ("hypothetical") 臍を噛め ほぞをかめ hozo o kame
Meireikei ("imperative") 臍を噛め ほぞをかめ hozo o kame
Key constructions
Passive 臍を噛まれる ほぞをかまれる hozo o kamareru
Causative 臍を噛ませる
臍を噛ます 		ほぞをかませる
ほぞをかます 		hozo o kamaseru
hozo o kamasu
Potential 臍を噛める ほぞをかめる hozo o kameru
Volitional 臍を噛もう ほぞをかもう hozo o kamō
Negative 臍を噛まない ほぞをかまない hozo o kamanai
Negative continuative 臍を噛まず ほぞをかまず hozo o kamazu
Formal 臍を噛みます ほぞをかみます hozo o kamimasu
Perfective 臍を噛んだ ほぞをかんだ hozo o kanda
Conjunctive 臍を噛んで ほぞをかんで hozo o kande
Hypothetical conditional 臍を噛めば ほぞをかめば hozo o kameba

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 “臍を噛む”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 [Kōjien] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
  3. ^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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