口裏を合わせる

• 読み: くちうらをあわせる
• ローマ字: kuchiura wo awaseru
• 漢字の分解: 口 (mouth) + 裏 (back/hidden) + 合わせる (to match/align) → to align hidden speech, coordinate stories
• 発音: /kɯ.tɕi.ɯ.ɾa o a.wa.se.ɾɯ/

意味

To get stories straight; to coordinate what everyone will say so the accounts match — often implying something shady.

口裏を合わせる implies coordinating testimony or explanations before facing questioning — whether from parents, bosses, or authorities. While it can be innocent (friends agreeing on an excuse), it often carries suspicious connotations. Common in crime dramas and news coverage of scandals, it suggests deliberate concealment of truth through coordinated storytelling.

例文

1. 先に口裏を合わせておかないとバレるよ。
2. 二人の証言が完璧に一致してて、明らかに口裏を合わせてる。
3. 口裏を合わせる暇もなかったから正直に話すしかなかった。

使い方ガイド

場面: drama, news, gossip, planning excuses

トーン: conspiratorial, suspicious

正しい言い方

• 口裏を合わせてたのがバレて余計に怒られた (We got caught coordinating our story and got scolded even more)
• 口裏を合わせる余裕もないほど突然だった (It was so sudden there wasn't even time to get our stories straight)

避ける言い方

• 真面目な場で「口裏を合わせよう」と冗談で言うと本当に疑われる (Jokingly saying 'let's get our stories straight' in a serious setting will actually make people suspicious)

よくある間違い

• Assuming 口裏を合わせる is always criminal — it can be used for minor social situations like friends agreeing on an excuse
• Not understanding the 裏 (hidden/back) component — it specifically implies hidden, coordinated speech, not open agreement

起源と歴史

From 口裏 (the back of one's mouth / hidden speech) + 合わせる (to match/coordinate). Literally 'to align what's behind the mouth' — to coordinate hidden statements so they present a unified front.

文化的背景

時代: Long-standing expression, common in crime drama and news

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal

地域メモ: Used across all of Japan. Frequently heard in crime dramas, political scandals, and everyday gossip about coordinated excuses.