JAPANESE (and non-Japanese) HAIRSTYLES
IN JAPANESE

H

FOR SOUND FILES CLICK ON THE FACE!

• We'll start with the simplest hair style -- none at all!
• This can also be seen as an insult, so be careful!

    EXAMPLE:
実は、はげなので 涼しいです。
jitsu wa, hage nano de suzushii desu!
Actually, being bald is very cool (temperature)!

      WORDS:        
実は jitsu wa - as a matter of fact; in truth; really; actually...        
はげ hage - bald        
なので nano de - because of (being bald it is cool)        
涼しい suzushii - cool; refreshing        
です desu - is, be verb

• A ichou is a Gingko tree. Evidently the Gingko tree's leaf is shaped like the Sumo's topknot. (or the other way around)
• The o means 'great' or 'big.'

    EXAMPLE:
(理髪店で) 私の夢はお相撲さんになることですのでおいちょうにしましょう
(rihatsuten de) watashi no yume wa o-sumou-san ni naru koto desu node
o-ichou ni shimashou.
(at a barber shop) My dream is to be a Sumo wrestler, so please give me a o-chou.

    WORDS:        
理髪店 rihatsuten - barber shop        
で de - at        
私の watashi no - my (NO is possessive)        
夢 yume - dream (both sleeping dream and future dream)        
は wa - topic marker, particle        
お相撲さん o-sumou-san - polite 'nickname' for a Sumo wrestler        
になる ni naru - become        
こと koto - thing (in this case, the whole idea of having a dream of becoming a Sumo wrestler)        
ので node - because        
おいちょうにしましょう -ichou ni shimashou - to do a o-ichou (to go for that hairstyle)

• During the Edo Period this was the hairstyle of choice among the samurai. I have heard this style was chosen to make wearing a helmet easier.

    EXAMPLE:
拙者のちょんまげはとてもかっこいでございる。
sessha no chonmage wa totemo kakkoi de gozairu.
(Using Samurai style words) My chonmage is very cool (styling).

WORDS:        
拙者 sessha - I (Samurai word - you will notice that Japanese has many, many personal pronouns.  This really flavors the language.  For more on personal pronouns click here )        
の no - possessive marker (sessha no = my)        
とても totemo - very        
かっこい kakkoi - cool, styling        
でございる de gozairu - another samurai-like word that means 'desu' (to be)

• A common cut for school boys in the more traditional schools.
• In English is this called a 'buzz-cut'? I am not sure, but the sounds are very similar

• And this is the common cut for school girls

• I don't see too many of these here in Fukui-ken, but maybe in Tokyo...
• Needless-to-say, this isn't a traditional Japanese style cut

    EXAMPLE: 校長先生は急にオレンジのモヒカンカットで学校に現れました。
kouchou-sensei wa kyuuni orenji no mohikan katto de gakkou ni arawaremashita.
The principal suddenly appeared at school with an orange Mohawk.

    WORDS:        
校長先生 kouchou-sensei - principal        
急に kyuuni - suddenly,        
オレンジ orenji - orange color        
の no - possessive (orange's mohawk)        
モヒカンカット mohikan katto - mohawk        
で de - with (a mohawk)        
学校 gakkou - school        
に ni - at (school)        
現れました arawaremashita - past tense of arawareru (to appear; to come into sight)