Illustration: Late at night in a Japanese living room, a guest remains comfortably seated with an empty teacup while the host gives a carefully restrained yawn behind one hand. The host's eyes flick toward a wall clock, and the other hand has quietly gathered the guest's folded coat from a nearby chair.

JLPT N1na-adjectiveLevel estimated by Bebop

婉えん曲きょく

enkyoku

indirect, euphemistic

Example sentences

  1. これらは天皇てんのうを直接名指ちょくせつなざすのをはばかった婉曲えんきょく表現ひょうげんである。

    These are euphemistic expressions hesitating to call the Emperor directly.

    KFTT corpus (NICT), Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source

  2. 依頼いらいや辞退じたいを表あらわすときには、直接的ちょくせつてきな言いい方かたは避さけ、婉曲えんきょく的てきで非断定的ひだんていてきな言いい回まわしを好このむ。

    When making requests or declining them, people avoid direct wording and prefer indirect, tentative phrasing.

    KFTT corpus (NICT), Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source

  3. 敬語けいごや婉曲えんきょく表現ひょうげんを多用たようし、柔やわらかく丁寧ていねいな口調くちょうでなるべく会話かいわに角かどが立たたない言いい回まわしをするが、それが皮肉ひにくとなるケースも多おおく、京言葉きょうことばを解げせない人々ひとびとがコミュニケーションをとりにくい、と感かんじることもある。

    Speakers frequently use honorifics and indirect expressions, choosing soft, polite wording to avoid causing offense. But this can also come across as sarcastic, and people who do not understand Kyoto speech may find it hard to communicate.

    KFTT corpus (NICT), Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source

Kanji in 婉曲

  • 婉gracefulOnエンKunうつくしい・したがう
  • 曲bend; musicOnキョクKunまがる・まげる・くま

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