食指

• 読み: しょくし
• ローマ字: shokushi
• 漢字の分解: 食 (shoku/ta) — food, eating; 指 (shi/yubi) — finger
• 発音: /ɕo̞kɯɕi/

意味

Appetite; interest; inclination; desire. Particularly used in the set phrase 食指が動く (to feel drawn to something).

Literally means 'index finger' (the finger used to taste food), but in figurative use it refers to one's appetite or desire for something. Almost always appears in the phrase 食指が動く (shokushi ga ugoku), meaning one is tempted or interested. N1-level idiomatic expression.

例文

1. 新しいプロジェクトの話を聞いて食指が動いた。
2. 美術品の競売に食指が動いたが、予算の都合で諦めた。
3. 彼女の提案は魅力的で、思わず食指が動いた。

使い方ガイド

場面: literature, formal writing, idioms

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

From Chinese classical literature. The index finger (食指) was believed to twitch when one was about to eat good food, so it became a metaphor for appetite and desire.

文化的背景

時代: Classical

世代: Adults

社会的背景: Educated