【坊主（ぼうず）】”BŌZU”
Meaning:
buzz cut
Usage:
「最近は坊主の子供を見なくなった。」
（さいきんはぼうずのこどもをみなくなった。）
(Saikin wa bōzu no kodomo o minakunatta.)
”I don’t see kids with buzz cuts these days.”
- 「坊主 (ぼうず / bōzu / “buzz cut”)」 is also sometimes referred to as 「坊主頭 (ぼうずあたま / bōzu-atama)」. 「頭 (あたま / atama)」 means “head”.
- This term is used to refer to Buddhist monks, and since monks of many sects shave their hair, this hairstyle came to be called 「坊主 (ぼうず / bōzu)」.
- It may not be so strict nowadays, but in my school days, you had to shave your head if you wanted to be a member of the school baseball team.
Glossary:
- 最近（さいきん）: these days, recently
- 坊主（ぼうず）: buzz cut
- 子供（こども）: child(ren), kid(s)
- 見る（みる）: to see
- ～しなくなった: stopped doing […]
【ポニーテール（ぽにーてーる）】”PONĪ TĒRU”
Meaning:
ponytail
Usage:
「夏は暑くてポニーテールばかりしてしまう。」
（なつはあつくてぽにーてーるばかりしてしまう。）
(Natsu wa atsukute ponītēru bakari shtiesimau.)
“It’s too hot in the summer, so I only have my hair in a ponytail.”
- When you use this kanji「暑い (あつい / atsui) 」for “hot”, it means that the air (room) temperature or the weather is hot. For details, check out the article below.
Words Related to Opposites -DAILY NIHONGO- 【暑い⇔寒い（あつい⇔さむい）】 - 「～してしまう (shite-shimau)」is a word used to describe habits or other things that you tend to do against your will. It is a word with a slight nuance of regret or disappointment.
For example, when you are on a diet but you tend to eat greasy foods, you can say: 「ダイエット中なのに、ついつい脂っこいものを食べてしまう。」
(だいえっとちゅうなのに、ついついあぶらっこいものをたべてしまう。)
(Daietto-chū nanoni, tsuitsui aburakkoi mono o tabete-shimau.) - In this usage, the use of 「～してしまう (shite-shimau)」 gives us a sense of disappointment of only putting her hair in a ponytail every day, against her will to do more fashionable hairstyles.
Glossary:
- 夏（なつ）: summer
- 暑い（あつい）: hot
- ポニーテール（ぽにーてーる）: ponytail
- ～ばかり: only […], nothing but […]
- ～してしまう: to have a (negative) habit of doing […], to tend to do […] against one’s will
【三つ編み（みつあみ）】”MITSUAMI”
Meaning:
3-strand braid/plait
Usage:
「三つ編みがしたいので、髪を伸ばしています。」
（みつあみがしたいので、かみをのばしています。）
(Mitsu-ami ga shitai node, kami o nobashite-imasu.)
“I’m growing my hair out because I want to braid it.”
- 「三つ編み (みつあみ / mitsu-ami)」refers to 3-strand braids only.
- French braid: 編み込み (あみこみ / amikomi)
- Fishborn braid: フィッシュボーン (ふぃっしゅぼーん / fisshu-bōn)
- 4-strand braid: 四つ編み (よつあみ / yotsu-ami)
- If you say braids in katakana like 「ブレイズ (bureizu)」, Japanese people think of dreadlocks or cornrows.
Glossary:
- 三つ編み（みつあみ）: 3-strand braid
- ～がしたい: to want to do […]
- 髪（かみ）: hair
- 伸ばす（のばす）: to grow long
【お団子（おだんご）】”ODANGO”
Meaning:
bun
Usage:
「母親になってから、お団子にすることが増えた。」
（ははおやになってから、おだんごにすることがふえた。）
(Hahaoya ni natte kara, odango ni suru koto ga fueta.)
“Since I became a mother, I have been wearing my hair in a bun more often.”
- It’s the same word as 「お団子 (おだんご / odango)」 for sweet dumplings. The shape of the bun resembled a sweet dumpling, so it came to be called like this.
- 「母親 (ははおや / hahaoya)」is a word used to refer to the role of a mother, and is not used for calling out to your mother. For how to call your own mother or someone’s mother, check out the article below:
Words Related to Family -DAILY NIHONGO-
Glossary:
- 母親（ははおや）: mother
- なる: to become, to be
- お団子（おだんご）: sweet dumplings, hair bun
- する: to do
- 増える（ふえる）: to increase
【パーマ（ぱーま）】”PĀMA”
Meaning:
perm, permed (wavy/curly) hair
Usage:
「パーマをかけてから、朝の支度が楽になった。」
（ぱーまをかけてから、あさのしたくがらくになった。）
(Pāma o kakete kara, asa no shitaku ga raku ni natta.)
“After getting a perm, it became easier to get ready in the morning.”
- 「パーマ (ぱーま / perm)」is collocated with the verb 「かける (kakeru / “to put on”)」. In Kansai (western Japan), however, it collocates with the verb 「あてる (ateru / “to hit”)」. I grew up in Osaka, so I still say「パーマをあてる (ぱーまをあてる / pāma o ateru)」for getting a perm.
Glossary:
- パーマ（ぱーま）: perm, permed (wavy/curly) hair
- パーマをかける（ぱーまをかける）: to get a perm
- 朝（あさ）: morning
- 支度（したく）: preperation, getting ready for […]
- 楽になる（らくになる）: to get easier, to become easier
【天パ（てんぱ）】”TEN-PA”
Meaning:
naturally wavy (curly) hair
Usage:
「私が天パだから、娘も天パだよ。」
（わたしがてんぱだから、むすめもてんぱだよ。）
(Watashi ga ten-pa dakara, musume mo ten-pa dayo.)
“I have naturally curly hair, so my daughter has naturally curly hair too.”
- 「天パ (てんぱ / Ten-pa)」is an abbreviation for 「天然パーマ (てんねんぱーま / ten-nen pāma)」. I think this word exists because there are many people in Japan who are born with straight hair, and it was rare to have hair that was naturally wavy as if it had been permed. (I’m 天パ, too, by the way.)
Glossary:
- 私（わたし）: I, me
- 天パ（てんぱ）: naturally wavy hair
- 娘（むすめ）: daughter
- ～も: […] too, […] as well
【ストパー（すとぱー）】”SUTOPĀ”
Meaning:
straight perm
Usage:
「私が中学生の時、ストパーが流行っていた。」
（わたしがちゅうがくせいのとき、すとぱーがはやっていた。）
(Watashi ga chūgakusei no toki, sutopā ga hayatteita.)
“When I was a high school student, straight perms were in fashion.”e5ecef
- 「ストパー (すとぱー / sutopā)」 is an abbreviation for 「ストレートパーマ (すとれーとぱーま / sutorēto pāma / “straight perm”)」.
Glossary:
- 私（わたし）: I, me
- 中学生（ちゅうがくせい）: junior high student
- ～の時（のとき）: when […]
- ストパー（すとぱー）: straight perm
- 流行る（はやる）: to be popular, to come into fashion