Translation guide
The body part, and related expressions for sense of smell, nosiness, and pride.
The physical nose on a face.
The standard word for nose. Used for humans and animals.
彼は鼻が高い。
He has a prominent nose.
鼻をかんでください。
Please blow your nose.
The ability to smell, or a keen sense of smell.
Literally 'nose is effective'. Means to have a good sense of smell, or figuratively to be good at finding things out.
犬は鼻が利く。
Dogs have a keen sense of smell.
彼は情報に鼻が利く。
He has a good nose for information.
A more casual way to say someone has a good nose.
彼女は鼻がいいから、すぐに気づいた。
She has a good nose, so she noticed right away.
Sticking one's nose into other people's business.
Literally 'thrust one's neck into'. Means to meddle or poke one's nose into something. More common than a direct 'nose' idiom.
人の問題に首を突っ込まないで。
Don't stick your nose into other people's problems.
To meddle or be nosy, often with a nuance of unwanted kindness.
彼はいつもお節介を焼く。
He's always sticking his nose into things.
To interfere or meddle. More formal and direct.
私のことに干渉しないでください。
Please don't interfere in my affairs.
Expressions related to pride, often using 'nose' metaphorically.
Literally 'nose is high'. Means to be proud or boastful. Can be positive or negative depending on context.
息子の成功に鼻が高い。
He's proud of his son's success.
To be boastful or to flaunt something. Often used negatively.
彼は学歴を鼻にかけている。
He boasts about his academic background.
Literally 'become a tengu'. Means to get a big head or become conceited. A common idiom.
Describing the shape or size of a nose.
A high-bridged or prominent nose. Often considered attractive.
彼女は高い鼻が特徴的だ。
Her prominent nose is distinctive.
A round, bulbous nose. Literally 'dumpling nose'.
彼は団子鼻がチャームポイントだ。
His button nose is his charm point.
An aquiline or hooked nose. Literally 'eagle nose'.
Actions like picking one's nose or blowing one's nose.
To blow one's nose.
ティッシュで鼻をかんだ。
I blew my nose with a tissue.
To pick one's nose. Casual and slightly vulgar.
人前で鼻をほじるのはやめなさい。
Stop picking your nose in public.
Many English idioms using 'nose' do not translate directly. For example, 'to pay through the nose' is 法外な値段を払う (ほうがいなねだんをはらう), not a literal nose expression. 'To keep one's nose clean' is 問題を起こさない (もんだいをおこさない). Always check if a figurative meaning exists before using 鼻.
鼻が高い can be used for justifiable pride (e.g., proud of a child's achievement), while 天狗になる always implies excessive, often annoying conceit. 鼻にかける is closer to 天狗になる but focuses on flaunting a specific attribute.
He gets a big head as soon as he's praised a little.
His aquiline nose is inherited from his father.