[Japanese Idioms by Flashcards]
顔が広い
“wide-faced”
(to be widely known, to have a large circle of acquaintances, to have many contacts)
To be established in business or to be respected in society, it is important to be kao ga hiroi. The kao ga hiroi person is often the community leader or the authority figure in the profession. He or she has many contacts in the community and is expected to perform a paternal or maternal role.
Sample text:
(Style: spoken/casual/A=female, B=male)
A: Sachiko-san mata omiai na n desu tte.
B: Tsugi kara tsugi e to yoku miai banashi ga hairu nee.
A: Otoosan ga kao ga hiroi kara iroirona tokoro kara hanashi ga aru n deshoo.
A:
B: 次から次へとよく見合い話がはいるねえ。
A: お父さんが顔が広いからいろいろなところから話があるんでしょう。
A: Sachiko has another omiai*, right?
B: She sure gets those miai requests one after another, doesn’t she?
A: Everybody knows her father, so omiai requests must come in from everywhere.
*(O)miai refers to an arranged meeting with a potential marriage partner.
Japanese Idioms
