ぬか漬け – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: 大塚紗英
• Album: アバンタイトル

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the powerful and emotional world of Sae Otsuka's 'Nukazuke'! This song offers a unique opportunity to learn Japanese through its intense and metaphorical lyrics. Exploring themes of frustration and the desire for understanding, 'Nukazuke' is a special track that combines a catchy rock sound with deep, relatable feelings, making it a compelling way to engage with the Japanese language and the artist's personal expression.

[English]

The last word goes to what’s genuine

Hurry up and eat, hey, me

Being spoiled

Cucumber and eggplant

I protect myself

Ah, so uncool

Just add some rice bran and it’s fine

Where’s that seasoned flavor?

Hurry up and eat, hey

While lamenting this salty world

And to survive, with my neighbors

Pretending to get along has its limit

I won’t give up my pride

Marinating in rice bran, marinating in rice bran

Marinating in rice bran, even I am saying all these things

Marinating in rice bran, marinating in rice bran

Unable to escape, marinating in rice bran

Ah, it seeps in

It’s soaking in rice bran

That girl is already goodbye

Driving nails into rice bran

Unseen effort

No reward in sight

This isn’t the place I aimed for

Don’t be fake, hurry up and eat, hey

Marinating in rice bran, marinating in rice bran

Even I am saying all these things, marinating in rice bran

Marinating in rice bran, marinating in rice bran

Unable to escape, marinating in rice bran

While lamenting this salty world

And to survive, with my neighbors

Pretending to get along has its limit

I won’t give up my pride

A frog in a well doesn’t know the big ocean

Kicking each other down, pulling at each other

In lukewarm water, only dissatisfaction

Can’t stay here anymore

Marinating in rice bran, marinating in rice bran

Even I am saying all these things, marinating in rice bran

Marinating in rice bran, marinating in rice bran

"Don’t do it together," writhing in rice bran

One day, I hope someone finds me

Hurry up and eat, hey, me

[Japanese]

最後は素材が勝つの

はやく食べてよ ねえ あたしを

甘やかされてる

キュウリとナス

あたしアタシを死守

あーあ ダサすぎる

ぬか入りゃOK

磨いた味は何処?

はやく食べてよ ねえ

しょっぱい世界を嘆きながら

生き残るためにお隣さんと

仲良いフリは限界よ

プライドだけは譲れない

ぬかに漬かってる ぬかに漬かってる

ぬかに漬かってる あれこれ言ってるあたしも

ぬかに漬かってる ぬかに漬かってる

抜け出せなくて ぬかに漬かってる

あー 染み込んでいく

ぬかに染み込む

あの子はもうバイバイ

ぬかに釘打つ

見えない努力

対価は得られず

目指していたのはこんな場所じゃない

ニセモノにしないで はやく食べてよ ねえ

ぬかに漬かってる ぬかに漬かってる

ぬかに漬かってる あれこれ言ってるあたしも

ぬかに漬かってる ぬかに漬かってる

抜け出せなくて ぬかに漬かってる

しょっぱい世界を嘆きながら

生き残るためにお隣さんと

仲良いフリは限界よ

プライドだけは譲れない

井の中の蛙大海知らず

蹴落とし合って引っ張り合って

ぬるま湯じゃ不満ばっかだ

こんなとこには居られない

ぬかに漬かってる ぬかに漬かってる

ぬかに漬かってる あれこれ言ってるあたしも

ぬかに漬かってる ぬかに漬かってる

"イッショニシナイデ"ぬかで踠いてる

いつか見つけてもらうの

はやく食べてよ ねえ あたしを

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
素材 /sozai/ B1	noun - material, ingredient
食べる /taberu/ A1	verb - to eat
甘やかす /amayakasu/ B2	verb - to pamper, to indulge
しょっぱい /shoppai/ B1	adjective - salty
世界 /sekai/ A2	noun - world
仲良い /nakayoi/ B1	adjective - friendly, close
プライド /puraido/ B2	noun - pride
努力 /doryoku/ B1	noun - effort, endeavor
得る /uru/ B2	verb - to obtain, to gain
場所 /basho/ A2	noun - place, location
見えない /mienai/ B1	adjective - invisible
抜け出す /nukedasu/ B2	verb - to escape, to get out
染み込む /shimikomu/ B2	verb - to soak in, to permeate
バイバイ /baibai/ A1	noun - goodbye
引っ張る /hipparu/ B1	verb - to pull, to drag
居られない /orarenai/ B2	verb - cannot stay, cannot be present

Key Grammar Structures

• はやく食べてよ ねえ

  ➔ Imperative form + よ to soften commands or requests

  ➔ The phrase uses the imperative form with よ at the end to make a casual request, like "Please eat quickly."

• 最後は素材が勝つの

  ➔ The phrase uses の at the end for explanatory or-it's-about statement

  ➔ Ending with の makes the sentence an explanatory statement, emphasizing 'it's that the ingredients win at the end.'

• ぬかに漬かってる

  ➔ The phrase uses passive continuous form to describe being soaked or immersed

  ➔ The phrase emphasizes being soaked or stuck in the fermentation process, metaphorically used for feeling trapped.

• 井の中の蛙大海知らず

  ➔ Proverbial expression using の + 知らず to indicate lack of knowledge

  ➔ The phrase is a proverb meaning 'A frog in a well does not know the ocean,' indicating limited perspective.

• ぬるま湯じゃ不満ばっかだ

  ➔ じゃ (formal variant of では) for comparison or contrast; ばっかだ for emphasis or repetitiveness

  ➔ The phrase contrasts 'lukewarm water' with dissatisfaction, using じゃ for the copula and ばっかだ to emphasize constant dissatisfaction.

• あれこれ言ってる

  ➔ ている form for ongoing action; いう to say; combined as 言ってる for casual speech

  ➔ This expression indicates that the subject is currently saying or doing something, with 言ってる being the casual form meaning 'saying.'

• 対価は得られず

  ➔ 得られず is the negative potential form of 得られる (to obtain), meaning 'cannot obtain' or 'without receiving.'

  ➔ The phrase expresses the idea 'cannot obtain the reward' or 'no compensation received,' emphasizing unreciprocated effort or value.

• ぬかに漬かってる あれこれ言ってるあたしも

  ➔ Using ている for ongoing states; combined with も to indicate 'also' or 'even'

  ➔ The phrase indicates that 'I am soaked in the fermentation' and 'I am also talking about this and that,' with も emphasizing 'also.'