A1 Idiom Neutre

頭が固い

atama ga katai

Stubborn/Rigid thinking

Phrase in 30 Seconds

Use this to describe someone who refuses to change their mind or accept new ideas.

  • Means: Someone who is mentally rigid or stubborn.
  • Used in: Describing bosses, older generations, or people stuck in their ways.
  • Don't confuse: It is not about physical hardness, but mental inflexibility.
Rock + Brain = Stubborn person

Explanation at your level:

This phrase means someone is stubborn. If you say someone's head is hard, it means they do not want to change their mind.
It describes a person who is not flexible. They stick to their old ideas even when new ones are better. It is often used to talk about people at work or school.
The phrase is used to characterize someone who lacks adaptability. It implies a cognitive rigidity that prevents them from accepting alternative perspectives or modern methods, often causing frustration in collaborative environments.
This idiom serves as a critique of intellectual stagnation. It suggests that the individual's thought processes are fixed, rendering them incapable of navigating nuanced or evolving situations, which is particularly relevant in hierarchical Japanese corporate culture.
Linguistically, this is a metaphor mapping physical hardness onto cognitive inflexibility. It highlights a socio-cultural preference for 'yuzuu' (flexibility/accommodation) over rigid adherence to protocol, framing the 'hard-headed' individual as a disruptive element in the social fabric.
This expression functions as a pejorative descriptor for cognitive dissonance and resistance to change. It reflects a cultural paradigm where the 'softness' of the mind is equated with wisdom and social intelligence, while 'hardness' denotes a failure to process external stimuli effectively, thus hindering interpersonal and systemic progress.

Signification

To be inflexible in one's ideas or resistant to new perspectives.

🌍

Contexte culturel

In Japan, being 'flexible' (yuzuu) is a virtue. Being 'hard-headed' is a social negative. Stubbornness is sometimes seen as 'determination' or 'conviction', which can be positive.

💡

Use with caution

Don't call your boss this unless you want to be fired!

Signification

To be inflexible in one's ideas or resistant to new perspectives.

💡

Use with caution

Don't call your boss this unless you want to be fired!

Teste-toi

Which phrase describes a stubborn person?

彼は____。

✓ Correct ! ✗ Pas tout à fait. Rponse correcte : 頭が固い

頭が固い is the idiom for stubbornness.

🎉 Score : /1

Aides visuelles

Questions fréquentes

1 questions

Yes, it is a mild to moderate insult.

Expressions liées

🔄

融通が利かない

synonym

Inflexible

🔗

頑固

similar

Stubborn

Où l'utiliser

💼

Work Meeting

Tanaka: Why don't we use Slack?

Sato: No, email is better. {頭|あたま}が{固|かた}いと言われてもいい。

neutral
🏠

Family Dinner

Mom: You should marry a doctor.

Daughter: Mom, you're so {頭|あたま}が{固|かた}い！

informal

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Imagine a rock inside someone's head. It's too hard to move!

Visual Association

A person with a literal brick for a head, refusing to look at a new path.

Story

Kenji wanted to use a computer. His grandfather said 'No, paper is better.' Kenji sighed, 'Grandpa, your head is hard (頭が固い)!'

Word Web

頑固融通が利かない保守的柔軟変化適応

Défi

Identify one situation today where you were 'head-hard' and one where you were flexible.

In Other Languages

Spanish high

Ser un cabeza dura

None, the metaphor is identical.

French moderate

Être têtu comme une mule

Focuses on animal behavior rather than body parts.

German high

Starrköpfig sein

Stiff vs Hard.

Japanese high

融通が利かない

More formal and descriptive of the action.

Arabic high

رأسه يابس

None, the metaphor is identical.

Easily Confused

頭が固い vs 頭が柔らかい

It is the exact opposite.

Soft head = flexible/smart.

FAQ (1)

Yes, it is a mild to moderate insult.

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