77304
> 目が小さいですか

This is found in the Genki 1 textbook _(page 144)_.

When I read it I thought it meant "Do you have short eyesight?", but when I
use two translator apps they both say it means "Do you have small eyes?".

Are the translators right?

I am doubting the translators because I know how literal they can be.

Thanks.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-14T17:41:24.603
77301
2020-05-14T19:12:03.010
36633
question
translation interpretation context
目が小さいですか Interpretation
It is meant in the literal sense.

I had a look at the textbook and there is a picture of two people, one with
large rounded eyes and another with small dots for eyes (see attached).
Remember that textbooks sometimes have to use artificial situations to
practice the target language - this results in some of the sample sentences or
exercises sounding a bit stilted or unnatural. It might sound strange to say
someone has 'small eyes' but it's just a way to practice the construction in
this case.

To talk about someone's eyesight, you would use the phrases 目がいい or 目が悪い as
basic options.

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Klgki.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Klgki.jpg)
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-14T19:06:30.347
77303
2020-05-14T19:06:30.347
25875
77301
answer
The translation is correct, as far as I know there is no idiomatic meaning to
the expression.

Humans in general, in all cultures, consider large eyes cute, and we even
attribute this to animals and inanimate objects. In Japan people might perhaps
seem a bit obsessed about this, and you will regularly hear statements about
people's eye size in Japan. If you google it you will find a lot of websites,
YouTube videos etc , with recommendations on how to e.g. do your makeup in
order to make your eyes look larger. Plastic surgery is also very common in
east Asia for the same purpose.

You have probably seen in e.g. anime that the characters tend to have
unnaturally big eyes, especially if they are to be considered cute contrary to
characters considered ugly that usually only have a line drawn for their eyes.
This is however not the only reason, large eyes in drawn content also helps
conveying messages and emotions without explicitly stating them. There might
also be historical reasons for it, as anime initially was inspired by US
artists.

```

    目が小さい
    目が細｛ほそ｝い
    
```

are both expressions to signify small/narrow eyes. Whereas the opposite is
simply

```

    目が大きい
    
```

As for refractive errors, the following terms are used:

```

    遠視｛えんし｝ = far-sighted
    近視｛きんし｝ = near-sighted
    乱視｛らんし｝ = astigmatic
    
```
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-14T19:06:46.897
77304
2020-05-14T19:12:03.010
2020-05-14T19:12:03.010
20305
20305
77301
answer