Skip to content
道Nihongo Path

Word 1592 of 2920

Save Sign in to track

耳が痛い

みみがいたい

painful to hear (because true)

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Examples

  1. 先生の言葉は耳が痛い。

    せんせいのことばはみみがいたい。

    The teacher's words hit home.

  2. そのご指摘は耳が痛いです。

    そのごしてきはみみがいたいです。

    That criticism strikes rather close to home.

  3. もっと節約しろと言われると、本当に耳が痛い話だ。

    もっとせつやくしろといわれると、ほんとうにみみがいたいはなしだ。

    Being told to save more money really is hard to hear.

Common patterns

耳が痛い話
a home truth
耳の痛い言葉
words that sting because they're true
指摘が耳が痛い
the criticism hits home

Memory tip

Not an earache — it means advice stings precisely because you know it is true, so it carries a note of admitting fault. Saying 耳が痛いです when criticized is a modest, adult way to accept it.

Kanji in this word

Quick check

1 / 2Multiple choiceDifficulty 3 of 5

What does 耳が痛い mean?