天然パーマ
tennen pāma
The English phrase "curly" is translated into Japanese as 天然パーマ (tennen pāma).
While the English word "curly" can describe any hair with curls, 天然パーマ is specifically used to describe hair that is naturally curly without the use of a hair perm.
Meaning: having curls (adj)
How do you pronounce it?
tennen pāma
Did you know?
- In Japanese, the word 天然 is also used as slang to describe a person who is airheaded or unintentionally funny, often shortened to 天然 or 天然さん.
- Japanese beauty standards historically favored straight hair, making 天然パーマ a point of distinctiveness that was often hidden with straightening treatments until recently.
- The word パーマ is a shortened version of the English word 'permanent', referring to a permanent wave. This is a 'loanword' that Japanese speakers have adapted to mean the process of curling hair.
Examples in context
- 彼女の髪は天然パーマだ。Her hair is naturally curly.This sentence is useful for describing someone's naturally curly hair using 天然パーマ.Tatoeba #94067 by small_snow, translation #309639 by CK
- パプアニューギニアに住むメラネシア人の多くは、かなり強い天然パーマですね。Most of the Melanesians living in Papua New Guinea have very curly hair, don't they?This sentence is useful for noting that many Melanesians in Papua New Guinea have very strong 天然パーマ.Tatoeba #74261 by fcbond, translation #329459 by fcbond
- 彼は天然パーマで、髪がふわふわしている。Kare wa tennen pāma de, kami ga fuwafuwa shite iru.He has natural curls, and his hair is fluffy.
Example conversation
Yui and Ren are talking about their hair at school.
- 結衣 Yui蓮くんは、もともと天然パーマなの？Ren-kun wa, motomoto tennen pāma nano?Ren, is your hair naturally curly?
- 蓮 Renうん、小さい頃から天然パーマなんだ。Un, chiisai koro kara tennen pāma nanda.Yeah, I've had curly hair since I was little.
- 結衣 Yuiいい感じだね。似合ってるよ。Ii kanji da ne. Niatteru yo.It looks great. It suits you.
- 蓮 Renありがとう。でも、まとめるのが大変だよ。Arigatō. Demo, matomeru no ga taihen dayo.Thanks. But it's hard to manage.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
