About Japanese teeth
Wednesday July 16, 2008
I went to the dentist the other day. In the middle of the treatment, the power suddenly went off. I got little bit nervous, as I had to keep my mouth open. What would happen if the power didn't come back on? Luckily it came back a litter later and they were able to finish fixing my teeth. Speaking of teeth, the Japanese are less concerned than the west with having straight teeth. "Yaeba (a double tooth)" is probably not desirable in the west, but many Japanese find yaeba cute and charming, especially for girls. Some celebrities and models show off their yaeba smiles. "Yaeba" is also often seen in female characters in anime and manga, too.
Japanese Translation
Japanese Translation
Comments
I’ve seen cat-girls, with fangs I suppose, but I don’t recall any anime with yaeba. Though I do notice the artist randomly drawing a girl with one fang, but I thought it was because the girl was being “catty”. Are they the same thing? 0_O
I really like the blogs. Learning about other cultures brings us all closer together, I believe. I have seen Japanese in the U.S. and sometimes am surprised by the condition of their teeth.
Toshiya from Dir en Grey has teeth here, there and everywhere and I think it’s the cutest thing ever. My friends make fun of me for it, but I think his teeth are part of what makes him so adorable.
ee, omoshiroi so de su ne.
Watashi wa yaeba ga arimasen.
Yaeba ga aru no onnanoko wa kawai to omoimasu.
:-)
I thought it was because orthodontic work in Japan is much more expensive than in America or Australia. I think that yaeba can be cute sometimes but I’ve seen a lot of women with really bad teeth and don’t really understand how it could be appealing!
I AGREE! I also find them very cute~!
although my parents dont think so >o
My husband is Japanese, however he finds crowded teeth to be unattractive. My front tooth is 2 mm off from being straight, he nags at me to fix it. I guess it depends on the person…
I have alot of teeth that aren’t staight too and I once wanted to get them fixed but my mum thought they added character to my face and wouldnt let me. I’m glad now that she wouldnt let me because i think that every one should be happy with the way that they look!
yaeba kana…kawai kamoshirenai…hmmm.
Wow! I only knew about yaeba today. I didn’t know they find it cute to have double teeth. Now I know why my Japanese friend only kept silent when I asked him if I would be prettier if I wear braces. Thanks for this information.
“Tanaka Boli says:
My husband is Japanese, however he finds crowded teeth to be unattractive. My front tooth is 2 mm off from being straight, he nags at me to fix it. I guess it depends on the person…”
Ha ha. Your husband? You were never even married to the guy. He used you for a while and then tossed you away like a cigarette butt. He wised up and moved on the better things. Ha ha. Your name ain’t even Tanaka.
…so THAT’S why Magibon is so well accepted in Japan.
I was completely wondering that myself, but I read a great article (oddly enough) about British teeth, but it works here too.
British — according to BBC news — find “imperfect” smiles to be more natural and more inviting. They find American completely straight and gleaming white to be unnatural and over the top.
Japan seems to follow the same thinking and although I have seen Japanese people with braces before it seems to be a rare occurrence.
Whereas some Americans may say “Why don’t they fix those crooked/oddly formed teeth” they’re saying “Why do Americans have teeth that look like mannequins’?”
@_@
If it’s true that the British find naturally formed teeth charming, why do all the celebrities have straight, white teeth?
I’m a foreigner here in Japan, and according to my Japanese friend, most of the Japanese don’t usually brush their teeth. Some of them brush their teeth once a week (grossss!!!)… Having ugly teeth and bad breath is not a big deal for them. Eeeeww!
Quincy,
You must be freaking kidding me. I am Japanese, and we do brush our teeth every day. I brush and floss my teeth at least twice a day…sometimes three times a day. The reason why us Japanese tend to have crooked teeth is orthodontists are expensive so most do not care to go there and get them straightened. I am telling you Quincy, it is either you are in a circle of friends who do not brush their teeth every day ( and it is gross if that is true), or your friend is kidding you. We do brush our teeth, and we do go to dentists, but getting braces are not looked at as so important.