臍を噛む

臍を噛む

Japanese

Kanji in this term
臍	噛
ほぞ Hyōgaiji	か Hyōgaiji
kun’yomi

Alternative spellings
臍を嚙む (kyūjitai) 臍を噬む (rare)

Alternative forms

• 臍を食う (hozo o kuu, literally “to eat one's navel”)

Etymology

Phrase composed of 臍 (hozo, “navel, bellybutton”) + を (o, object particle) + 噛む (kamu, “to bite, to chew on”).[1][2][3] Compare English chew on one's nails, nail biter.

First cited to a text from 852.[1]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ho̞zo̞ o̞ ka̠mɯ̟ᵝ]

Verb

臍(ほぞ)を噛(か)む • (hozo o kamu) godan (stem 臍(ほぞ)を噛(か)み (hozo o kami), past 臍(ほぞ)を噛(か)んだ (hozo o kanda))

1. (literally) to bite one's own navel
2. [from 852] (idiomatic) to worry about something that hasn't happened yet; to deeply regret something that has already happened
   • From the 吾妻鏡 (Azuma Kagami),[2] early 1300s:

     なほ宥(ゆる)し沙汰有(さたあ)らんと欲(よく)するの処(ところ)、今(いま)自殺(じさつ)し畢(おわ)んぬ。後悔(こうくゎい)臍(ほぞ)を食(か)むも益(やく)無(な)し

     Nafo yurushi sata aran to yokusuru no tokoro, ima jisatsu shi owannu. Kōkwai hozo wo kamu mo yaku nashi

     They wanted to be forgiven and for the matter to be resolved, and now they've committed suicide and things are finished. There's no sense regretting it and chewing on your nails.

Conjugation

Conjugation of "臍を噛む" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	臍を噛ま	ほぞをかま	hozo o kama
Continuative (連用形)	臍を噛み	ほぞをかみ	hozo o kami
Terminal (終止形)	臍を噛む	ほぞをかむ	hozo o kamu
Attributive (連体形)	臍を噛む	ほぞをかむ	hozo o kamu
Hypothetical (仮定形)	臍を噛め	ほぞをかめ	hozo o kame
Imperative (命令形)	臍を噛め	ほぞをかめ	hozo o kame
Key constructions
Passive	臍を噛まれる	ほぞをかまれる	hozo o kamareru
Causative	臍を噛ませる 臍を噛ます	ほぞをかませる ほぞをかます	hozo o kamaseru hozo o kamasu
Potential	臍を噛める	ほぞをかめる	hozo o kameru
Volitional	臍を噛もう	ほぞをかもう	hozo o kamō
Negative	臍を噛まない	ほぞをかまない	hozo o kamanai
Negative continuative	臍を噛まず	ほぞをかまず	hozo o kamazu
Formal	臍を噛みます	ほぞをかみます	hozo o kamimasu
Perfective	臍を噛んだ	ほぞをかんだ	hozo o kanda
Conjunctive	臍を噛んで	ほぞをかんで	hozo o kande
Hypothetical conditional	臍を噛めば	ほぞをかめば	hozo o kameba

References

1. “臍を噛む”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎ (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000, →ISBN
2. 1998, 広辞苑 (Kōjien), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
3. 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN