💡 When you want to say “the part where…”

You're enthusiastically chatting with friends about a movie, a book, or some funny story. You want to mention a specific, precious scene or detail.

Instead of expressing it a bit awkwardly like: 「映画の、主人公が本当のことを言った部分…」(The part… where the main character told the truth in the movie…), the Japanese have a super “valuable” word to make your story flow much more smoothly.

That word is 「〜のくだり」 (no kudari).

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🎬 What is「くだり」?

くだり (pronounced ku-da-ri) means "a passage, a part, a section" in a story, a play, a movie, or a text. It helps you pinpoint the exact segment you want to talk about.

The super simple formula:

Noun (movie title, story...) + の + [Description of the part] + くだり

Let's look at some examples to see how effective it is!

🗣️ Real-life Examples

1. When talking about movies, anime:

   • 「鬼滅の刃で、煉獄さんが『心を燃やせ』って言うくだり、何回見ても泣けるよね。」
   • → The part in Demon Slayer where Rengoku says "Set your heart ablaze!", I cry no matter how many times I watch it.

2. When talking about a story you just heard:

   • 「さっきの部長の話、自分の若い頃の自慢話になるくだりが一番面白かった。」
   • → In the manager's story just now, the part where he started bragging about his youth was the funniest.

3. When talking about a recurring situation:

   • 「もう彼の言い訳は聞き飽きたよ。いつも寝坊したってくだりから始まるんだから。」
   • → I'm tired of his excuses. It always starts with the part about "I overslept."

✨ Why use 「くだり」?

• Natural like a native: This is an extremely common expression in everyday spoken language.
• Sounds more "in the know": Using くだり shows that you not only understand surface-level Japanese but also grasp more in-depth, "insider" ways of speaking.
• Precise and effective: Instead of a lengthy explanation, 〜のくだり helps you get straight to the point of the detail you want to mention.

Next time you're chatting with friends, don't forget to use this trick to pinpoint the most precious "parts"! 🚀