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道Nihongo Path

Word 1579 of 2920

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顔を立てる

かおをたてる

to save someone's face

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Examples

  1. 上司の顔を立てて黙っていた。

    じょうしのかおをたててだまっていた。

    I kept quiet to save my boss's face.

  2. ここは先輩の顔を立てよう。

    ここはせんぱいのかおをたてよう。

    Let's let our senior take the credit here.

  3. 紹介してくれた人の顔を立てるために、一度会うことにした。

    しょうかいしてくれたひとのかおをたてるために、いちどあうことにした。

    To save face for the person who introduced us, I agreed to meet him once.

Common patterns

上司の顔を立てる
to save one's boss's face
顔を立ててやる
to let someone keep their dignity
面子を立てる
to preserve someone's pride

Memory tip

You 'stand someone's face up' — act so that a senior keeps their standing in front of others, often by holding back your own opinion. It is about someone else's dignity; for your own, use 面目を保つ.

Kanji in this word

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What does 顔を立てる mean?