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顧みて他を言う (かえりみてたをいう) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
expression, godan verb (-u)
give an evasive answer ; dodge the question
A set phrase meaning to avoid giving a direct answer by changing the subject or talking about something else. Often used when someone is being deliberately vague or noncommittal.
も
、
顧かえり
み
て
他た
を
言い
わ
れ
て
しまっ
た
。
Even when I asked directly, I got an evasive answer.
Written forms 顧かえり みて 他た を 言い う
Standard kanji spelling for this set phrase.
かえりみて 他た を 言い う
Mixed kana-kanji spelling sometimes seen in modern writing.
Kanji 顧 look back, review, examine oneself 他 other, another, the others Similar words はぐらかす はぐらかす is a more general verb for evading or dodging a question, while 顧みて他を言う is a specific idiomatic phrase emphasizing the act of looking away and talking about something else.
言こと 葉ば を 濁にご す 言葉を濁す means to speak ambiguously or beat around the bush, often to avoid a clear statement. 顧みて他を言う focuses more on changing the topic entirely.
Etymology The phrase literally means 'to look back and speak of other things,' suggesting a deliberate shift of attention away from the matter at hand. The exact origin is uncertain, but it is a classical-sounding expression that has survived as a set phrase.
