Aka no Tanin (A Complete Stranger)

Today, I will talk about the Japanese phrase "aka no tanin."

"Aka" means "red," "tanin" means "a stranger," and "aka no tanin" means "a complete stranger."

Since the word "aka" comes from "akiraka," which means "obvious" or "clear," it contains such meanings in addition to "red," and is sometimes used for emphasizing a noun as in the above example.

(By the way, "kuro" (black) comes from "kurai," which means "dark.")

As similar examples, there are "makka na uso" (a red lie) and "aka ppaji" (a red shame).

"Makka na uso" means "an absolute lie" or "an utter lie," and "aka ppaji" means "a mortal shame" or "an open disgrace."

赤の他人

今日は、「赤の他人」という日本語を紹介します。

赤の他人は、「完全に無関係な他人」を表す言葉であり、「他人」であることを強調しています。

「赤」は「明暗」の「明か」から来ており、「全くの」「明らかな」などの意味を有するため、この例のように名詞を強調する際に使われることがあります。

似た使用例として、「真っ赤な嘘」や「赤っ恥」という言葉もあります。

「真っ赤な嘘」は「完全な嘘」「明らかな嘘」を、「赤っ恥」は「ひどい恥」を意味します。