何の言葉17 ちょうど (choudo)

Hi!

Do you remember the children’s story “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”?

I know it’s 久しぶりに読んだ物語 (a story I haven’t read in a long time).

But if I could describe this week’s 何の言葉, this story explains it best! 🐻

Here’s how the story went: Goldilocks broke into a home that belonged to a bear family and saw the food on the table (she was really hungry).

She sat at the table to taste Papa bear’s porridge and said, “It’s too hot!”

When she tasted Mama bear’s porridge, it was too cold!

When she tasted baby bear’s porridge, it was just right! ちょうどいい!

It was so good she ate it all. 🤣 （ダメだよゴルディロックス…）

What does ちょうど mean?

ちょうど means “just”, “exactly”, “precisely”.

1. Matches perfectly with an expectation.

   For example,

   ちょうどこの線まで水を入れてください。
   (choudo kono sen made mizu wo irete kudasai.)
   Please pour water until it gets exactly up to this line.

Note: A very common phrase with this meaning is 「ちょうどいい」.
It means “just right”, “perfect”. Proper, suitable, not too much, the right amount of… , or comfortable . Japanese people use it very frequently.

• この薄いセーターは、今の季節にちょうどいい。
  (kono usui seetaa wa, ima no kisetsu choudo ii)
  This thin sweater is just right for this season.

• 「コーヒー濃すぎないかな？」「ちょうどいいよ。」
  (koohii koi suginai kana? choudo ii yo)
  ”Isn’t that coffee too intense?” “It’s perfect.”

• 朝ごはんは、バナナ1本くらいが私にはちょうどいい。
  (asagohan wa, banana ippon kurai ga watashi ni wa choudo ii)
  For me, 1 banana is just enough for breakfast.

2. Matches perfectly with a timing.

For example:

• ちょうど君のことを話してたところだよ。
  (Choudo kimi no koto wo hanashiteta tokoro dayo.)
  We were just talking about you.

• 今ちょうどコーヒーが飲みたいって思ってたんだ。
  (Ima choudo koohii ga nomitai tte omottetanda.)
  Actually I was just feeling like drinking some coffee.

• 彼を見たちょうどその時に、彼もこっちを見た。
  (Kare wo mita choudo sono toki ni, kare mo kocchi wo mita.)
  Exactly when I gave a glance at him, he glanced at me as well.

How to write ちょうど in kanji:

ちょうど is written as 丁度 in Kanji, but many people use hiragana for daily use.

Similar English phrases:

“just right”
“perfectly”
“exactly”

 💡 Perfect timing! Just what I needed.

A common phrase using ちょうどいい is:

「ちょうどいいところに！」
(choudo ii tokoro ni)
Perfect timing!

ところ = place, so the phrase means “what great timing that this ___ is here”.

１．4時ちょうどに駅に着く予定だよ。
　　（Yo ji choudo ni eki ni tsuku yotei dayo.）
　　We’re going to arrive at the station at precisely 4 o’clock.

２．ルーレットがちょうど狙ったところに止まった。
　　（Ruuretto ga choudo neratta tokoro ni tomatta.）
　　The roulette stopped at exactly where I was aiming for.

３．実は、私も今ちょうど同じことを考えてたんだ。
　　（Jitsu wa, watashi mo ima choudo onaji koto wo kangaetetanda.）
　　Actually, I was just thinking of the same thing.

４．1か月に1回会うくらいが、私たちにはちょうどいい。
　　（Ikkagetsu ni ikkai au kurai ga, watashi tachi ni wa choudo ii.）
　　It will be just nice for us if we meet up about once a month.

５．今日はピクニックにちょうどいい天気だ。
　　（Kyou wa pikunikku ni choudo ii tenki da.）
　　Today is perfect weather for a picnic.

Similar Japanese phrases:

ぴったり (pittari)