A1 Idiom Neutre

口が堅い

kuchi ga katai

Tight-lipped

Phrase in 30 Seconds

Use this phrase to describe someone who is excellent at keeping secrets and never leaks private information.

  • Means: Someone who does not talk about secrets or private matters easily.
  • Used in: Describing trustworthy friends, colleagues, or professional discretion.
  • Don't confuse: {口|くち}が{軽|かる}い (the opposite: someone who gossips).
Locked mouth 🤐 + Trustworthy person 🤝 = {口|くち}が{堅|かた}い

Explanation at your level:

This phrase means someone is good at keeping secrets. You use it to say a person is trustworthy.
When someone is {口|くち}が{堅|かた}い, they do not tell other people your secrets. It is a positive way to describe a loyal and reliable friend.
This idiom describes a person who possesses the self-control to withhold private information. It is commonly used in professional and social contexts to indicate that someone can be trusted with sensitive data or personal matters.
The phrase functions as a metaphorical descriptor for an individual's discretion. Unlike being merely quiet, it implies an active, intentional effort to protect confidentiality, making it a highly valued trait in both Japanese corporate culture and intimate social circles.
This idiom utilizes the physical metaphor of 'hardness' to represent psychological resilience against the social pressure to disclose information. It serves as a linguistic marker for high-trust individuals, reflecting the cultural premium placed on maintaining confidentiality to preserve social equilibrium.
The expression {口|くち}が{堅|かた}い is a quintessential example of Japanese somatic metaphor, where physical attributes map onto character traits. It encapsulates the cultural imperative of 'honne' (true feelings) versus 'tatemae' (public face), where the ability to gatekeep information is synonymous with social maturity and reliability.

Signification

Someone who is good at keeping secrets.

🌍

Contexte culturel

In Japan, discretion is a sign of maturity.

💡

Context is key

Use this to compliment someone's reliability.

Signification

Someone who is good at keeping secrets.

💡

Context is key

Use this to compliment someone's reliability.

Teste-toi

Which phrase means someone is good at keeping secrets?

彼は____。

✓ Correct ! ✗ Pas tout à fait. Rponse correcte : {口|くち}が{堅|かた}い

{口|くち}が{堅|かた}い means tight-lipped/discreet.

🎉 Score : /1

Aides visuelles

Questions fréquentes

1 questions

Yes, but it sounds a bit boastful. Better to let others say it about you.

Expressions liées

🔗

{口|くち}が{軽|かる}い

contrast

Loose-lipped

Où l'utiliser

🏢

Office Gossip

A: あの話、誰にも言わないでね。

B: 大丈夫、私は{口|くち}が{堅|かた}いから。

neutral

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Imagine a padlock on someone's mouth. The lock is 'hard' (堅い) to break.

Visual Association

A person holding a key to their own mouth, smiling confidently because they won't spill the beans.

Story

Tanaka-san has a secret. He tells Sato-san. Sato-san never tells anyone. Tanaka-san says, 'Sato-san is {口|くち}が{堅|かた}い.'

Word Web

秘密信頼口堅い守る噂

Défi

Think of three people you know. Label them as {口|くち}が{堅|かた}い or {口|くち}が{軽|かる}い.

In Other Languages

Spanish high

Ser una tumba

Japanese focuses on the mouth's strength; Spanish focuses on the finality of death.

French moderate

Savoir garder un secret

French is literal; Japanese is idiomatic.

German high

Dicht halten

German focuses on the action of sealing; Japanese focuses on the body part.

Japanese n/a

{口|くち}が{堅|かた}い

N/A

Arabic moderate

كتوم

Arabic uses a descriptive adjective; Japanese uses an idiomatic phrase.

Easily Confused

口が堅い vs {口|くち}が{重|おも}い

Often confused with {口|くち}が{堅|かた}い.

{口|くち}が{重|おも}い means someone who doesn't talk much in general, while {口|くち}が{堅|かた}い means they don't leak secrets.

FAQ (1)

Yes, but it sounds a bit boastful. Better to let others say it about you.

C'tait utile ?

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