Easy-to-remember, positive four-character idioms for elementary school kids! Words that brighten the heart
Do you ever find it hard to put your positive, upbeat feelings into words? Four-character idioms are full of expressions that convey encouragement and hope.
Especially for elementary school students, it’s a great chance to learn the meanings of tricky kanji while finding idioms that can boost your own spirits and those of your friends.
In this article, we’ll introduce positive four-character idioms that elementary schoolers can use in everyday life, along with easy-to-understand example sentences.
We hope you find words that truly resonate with your heart!
- Easy for elementary school students to remember! A four-character idiom that expresses the feeling of trying your best
- Learn the meanings too! Cool four-character idioms that elementary school students will want to remember
- [For Elementary School Students] Four-character idioms you can use in sports! Words that are helpful for cheering and goal setting
- Four-character idioms that wish for happiness! Words that will warm the hearts of elementary school children
- Interesting four-character idioms for elementary schoolers! Words you'll want to use once you understand their meanings
- Four-character idioms that help elementary schoolers not give up: words that spark the power to keep trying
- [For Elementary School Students] Inspiring Four-Character Idioms for Shaping the Future at a Glance! Words that Spark Courage
- For Elementary School Students: Four-Character Idioms You Can Use for New Year’s Resolutions — How to Set Cool Goals!
- Recommended for elementary school class goals! A collection of impactful ideas using four-character idioms
- Perfect for elementary school slogans! A collection of four-character idiom ideas you'll want to use
- Popular even among elementary school students! Stylish and easy-to-remember four-character idioms
- Strive toward your goals! Four-character idiom ideas that resonate with elementary school students
- [Elementary School Students] Perfect for Kakizome! A Collection of Four-Character Idiom Ideas
Easy-to-remember positive four-character idioms for elementary schoolers! Uplifting words (51–60)
bizarre and mysterious
This four-character idiom is used for mysterious, suspicious situations or events that defy common sense.
It repeats each character of the word meaning “odd” and “bizarre” (kikai), thereby emphasizing the meaning embedded within it.
Its distinctive look—repeating the same characters—and the light, lilting sound created by successive k-syllables give it an unexpectedly comical feel, despite its meaning.
Since it expresses something so mysterious that it exceeds the bounds of the merely bizarre, it also conveys an impression of fear.
side-splitting laughter
What people find funny and laugh at varies from person to person, and their reactions have their own individuality.
One such reaction to laughter is a four-character idiom that describes laughing so hard you clutch your belly and almost fall over.
The expression originates from the ancient Chinese historical text Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), which conveys that laughter itself has a long history.
With its depiction of a big, expressive reaction, the word seems to convey happiness as well.
moment by moment
It’s a four-character idiom that expresses things happening one after another over time, as well as the passage of time itself.
It has an interesting structure that repeats each character in the word for “time,” which both emphasizes the original meaning and conveys a sense of depth.
The repeated sounds are also key: they give the phrase a light, rhythmic feel while evoking the image of time being marked little by little.
It’s a term that seems to carry an anticipation of how circumstances will change as time goes by.
ecstatic; overjoyed; beside oneself with joy
You might not hear ‘uchōtengai’ very often, but you’ve probably heard ‘uchōten,’ right? Uchōten refers to a state where things go so well that you become overjoyed to the point of losing sight of your surroundings.
In other words, uchōtengai describes being even more ecstatic than uchōten.
It’s natural to be happy when things go well, but if you don’t pay attention to your surroundings, you might get into an accident or get hurt.
If you’re going to be uchōtengai, make sure you’ve secured your safety first.
And if you can also think about how your display of joy looks to those around you, that would be wonderful.
Easy-to-remember, positive four-character idioms for elementary school kids! Uplifting words (61–70)
to eat and drink like a horse; gluttony and heavy drinking
This four-character idiom describes gulping down food and drink in large quantities—like cows drinking water and horses eating fodder—and expresses a voracious appetite.
It’s similar to “binge eating and drinking,” and is often used with a negative nuance, but it can also convey positive feelings when simply highlighting hearty appetite.
Because animals eat as much as they want when they want, the phrase can also evoke an image of unrestrained desire, prompting us to reflect on our own approach to eating.
Since it can carry either a positive or negative meaning, it’s important to judge from context which sense is intended at the moment.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Pronounced “seishin-ittō,” it carries the meaning that by focusing your mind, you can accomplish any difficult task, and that even challenging things can surely be achieved through sustained concentration and effort.
It’s an encouraging four-character idiom suggesting that if you stay focused and don’t give up on lessons, studies, or interests, you can reach your goals.
It may also be beneficial for parents to adopt the same mindset—watching over their children and boosting their spirits—as this can have a positive impact on the children as well.
Blue sky beyond the clouds
It is read as “ungai sōten,” and if you interpret the kanji literally, it means “beyond the clouds, a blue and beautiful sky spreads out.” From that, it came to be used with the meaning: “If you keep making an effort while overcoming suffering and failure, a wonderful view or world awaits you.” Choosing the easy path and walking it is simple.
But if a wonderful world awaits beyond our efforts, it encourages our hearts to try a little harder, doesn’t it?