馬脚

• Reading: ばきゃく
• Romaji: bakyaku
• Kanji breakdown: 馬 (ba/uma) — horse; 脚 (kyaku/ashi) — leg, foot, base
• Pronunciation: /bakʲakɯ/

Meaning

True colours; a hidden flaw; inadvertent self-betrayal. The unintended revelation of one's true nature or a carefully concealed deficiency.

Almost always used in the set expression 馬脚を露す (to reveal one's true colours, literally 'to expose the horse's legs'). The phrase comes from kabuki theatre, where actors playing horses occasionally revealed their legs beneath the costume. Implies the awkward, involuntary exposure of something one tried to hide.

Examples

1. 完璧に見えた計画も、実行段階で馬脚を露した。 Even the seemingly perfect plan revealed its true colours at the implementation stage.
2. 冷静を装っていた彼も、批判を受けて馬脚を露すことになった。 Even he, who had been feigning composure, ended up betraying himself when faced with criticism.
3. いかに上手く偽装しても、長続きすれば必ず馬脚が出るものだ。 No matter how skilfully one disguises something, if it goes on long enough, the truth will inevitably out.

Usage Guide

Context: politics, business, literature, idiom

Tone: ironic

Origin & History

From kabuki theatre — actors playing horses (馬, uma) sometimes had their legs (脚, kyaku/ashi) visible beneath the costume, inadvertently destroying the illusion. The phrase 馬脚を露す became a metaphor for unintentional self-exposure.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: Adults

Social background: Universal