天てん狗ぐ

て

ん

ぐ

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

tengu; long-nosed goblin

A mythical creature from Japanese folklore, often depicted with a red face and a long nose, said to live deep in the mountains. Also used in expressions related to arrogance.

天てん狗ぐは日本にほんの昔むかし話ばなしによく出でてくる。
Tengu often appear in Japanese folk tales.

noun

braggart; conceited person; arrogance

idiomatic expression

Idiomatic use likening a boastful or arrogant person to a tengu. Often used in set phrases like 天狗になる (to get a big head).

彼かれは少すこし成せい功こうしただけで天てん狗ぐになってしまった。
He got a big head just from a little success.

See all 51 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

天てん狗ぐの鼻はなをへし折おるto cut someone's pride down to size (lit. to break the tengu's nose)
彼かれの自じ慢まん話ばなしを聞きいて、天てん狗ぐの鼻はなをへし折おってやりたくなった。
Listening to him brag, I felt like taking him down a peg.
〈人ひと〉を天てん狗ぐにするto make someone conceited (through praise or success)
周まわりのお世せ辞じが彼かれを天てん狗ぐにしてしまった。
The flattery from those around him made him conceited.

Expressions

天てん狗ぐになるget conceited; become vain; get stuck up
木この葉は天てん狗ぐweak tengu; lesser tengu

Kanji

天heavens, sky, imperial
狗puppy, dog

Related words

妖よう怪かい sense 1
妖怪 is the general word for any supernatural creature or monster, while 天狗 names one specific long-nosed, mountain-dwelling goblin.
自惚うぬぼれN1sense 2
天狗になる vividly evokes becoming conceited (like the boastful tengu), while 自惚れ is the plain noun for vain self-admiration in general.
慢まん心しん sense 2
天狗になる is a colorful idiom for growing conceited after success, whereas 慢心 is the formal, neutral term for the same overconfidence.
うぬぼれるN1
天狗になる is a vivid, colloquial idiom for getting a swelled head, similar to うぬぼれる but more informal and image-based.

Opposites

謙けん虚きょN2sense 2
天狗になる means becoming conceited and puffed up, the opposite of 謙虚, which describes a humble, modest attitude.

Don't confuse with

天邪鬼あまのじゃく sense 1
天狗 and 天邪鬼 are both mountain folklore beings, but 天狗 is proud and boastful while 天邪鬼 is stubborn and does the opposite of what it's told.

Counted with

体たい sense 1
As a humanoid figure, 天狗 is counted with 体 when referring to statues or carved figures, e.g. 天狗の像一体.

Word family· 24

烏からす天てん狗ぐ
crow-billed tengu; small tengu with a crow's beak
八はっ天てん狗ぐ
hattengu; eight great tengu
大だい天てん狗ぐ
large tengu; powerful tengu · big braggart; blowhard
天てん狗ぐ物もの
tengu Noh play; goblin piece
テングザル
proboscis monkey; long-nosed monkey

Show 6 more

天てん狗ぐ礫つぶて
mysterious falling rocks in the mountains
テングタケ
panther cap; Amanita pantherina
天てん狗ぐ話ばなし
boastful story; tall tale · story about tengu
天てん狗ぐ道どう
world of the tengu; hell of the long-nosed goblins
天てん狗ぐ風かぜ
sudden gust of wind
小こ天てん狗ぐ
small tengu · promising young martial artist

See all 24 in Explore →

Written forms

天てん狗ぐUsage78%
Standard kanji spelling for both the mythical creature and the idiomatic sense.
テングUsage21%
てんぐUsage1%

Etymology

The word 天狗 (tengu) is of Chinese origin, originally referring to a celestial dog or comet, but in Japan it evolved into the well-known long-nosed goblin of folklore. The idiomatic sense of 'braggart' comes from the tengu's traditional depiction as arrogant and self-important.