Skip to content
道Nihongo Path

Word 1572 of 2920

Save Sign in to track

頭が上がらない

あたまがあがらない

to be unable to hold one's head up before (someone); to be deeply indebted to

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Examples

  1. 恩人には頭が上がらない。

    おんじんにはあたまがあがらない。

    I can't hold my head up before my benefactor.

  2. 私は妻には頭が上がらない。

    わたしはつまにはあたまがあがらない。

    In my house, my wife wears the trousers.

  3. 学生時代に世話になったので、先輩には今でも頭が上がらない。

    がくせいじだいにせわになったので、せんぱいにはいまでもあたまがあがらない。

    He looked after me in my student days, so even now I can't stand up to him.

Common patterns

～に頭が上がらない
to be unable to stand up to ~
妻に頭が上がらない
to be henpecked
恩人に頭が上がらない
to owe a benefactor too much to argue

Memory tip

Your head stays bowed because you owe the person something, so you can never argue back. Do not confuse it with 頭が下がる: that one is admiration, this one is obligation, and it is often said half-jokingly about a spouse or a senior.

Kanji in this word

Quick check

1 / 2Multiple choiceDifficulty 3 of 5

What does 頭が上がらない mean?