Contents
Meaning
内弁慶 (うちべんけい) means someone who is bold and bossy at home but timid and meek outside — in other words, a person who acts tough with family but becomes shy or passive around others.
意味の説明
The word combines 内 (uchi = inside/home) and 弁慶 (Benkei = a famous legendary warrior monk known for his strength and boldness). So literally it means “a Benkei only at home” — brave inside the house, but a completely different person in the outside world.
最も近い英語表現
| 英語表現 | ニュアンス |
|---|---|
| a lion at home, a mouse abroad | 最も近いことわざ表現 |
| brave only at home | シンプルでわかりやすい表現 |
| a bully at home but a coward outside | やや強めのニュアンス |
| only confident around family | 柔らかい表現 |
| a homebody tough guy | カジュアルな口語表現 |
| all bark at home but no bite outside | 慣用句的な表現 |
使われる場面の例
- 家では兄に偉そうにするのに、学校では大人しい子ども → He bosses his older brother around at home, but he’s as quiet as a mouse at school.
- 家族には強く言えるのに、職場では何も言えない人 → She stands her ground with her family, but she can never speak up at work.
💡 ポイント: 英語にぴったり一語で対応する単語はありませんが、“a lion at home, a mouse abroad” ということわざが最もニュアンスに近い表現です。日常会話では状況を説明する形で表現することが多いです。
Example sentences
内弁慶 例文集
| # | 日本語 | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 彼は典型的な内弁慶で、家では威張っているのに外では大人しい。 | He’s a classic case of a lion at home and a mouse abroad — bossy at home but quiet outside. |
| 2 | うちの弟は内弁慶で、家族には強気なのに友達の前では借りてきた猫みたいだ。 | My younger brother is all tough at home with the family, but acts like a completely different person around his friends. |
| 3 | 彼女は内弁慶なので、職場ではなかなか自分の意見が言えない。 | She’s only confident at home, so she has a hard time speaking her mind at work. |
| 4 | 子どもの頃、私は内弁慶だった。 | When I was a child, I was brave at home but timid everywhere else. |
| 5 | 内弁慶な人は、職場でストレスをため込みやすい。 | People who are only assertive at home tend to bottle up stress at work. |
| 6 | 彼は家では家族に大声で怒鳴るのに、外では誰にも何も言えない内弁慶だ。 | He yells at his family at home, but outside he’s a total pushover who can’t say a word to anyone. |
| 7 | 内弁慶を直したくて、話し方教室に通い始めた。 | I wanted to overcome being timid outside the home, so I started taking a public speaking class. |
| 8 | 彼女は内弁慶なので、初対面の人と話すのが苦手だ。 | Because she’s only confident at home, she struggles to talk to people she’s meeting for the first time. |
| 9 | うちの息子は学校では一言もしゃべらないらしいが、家では本当にうるさい。典型的な内弁慶だ。 | Apparently my son doesn’t say a word at school, but at home he never stops talking. He’s a textbook lion at home, mouse abroad. |
| 10 | 内弁慶な性格のせいで、なかなか友達ができなかった。 | Because of my timid nature outside the home, I had a hard time making friends. |
| 11 | 彼は会議では一言も発言しないのに、家に帰ると文句ばかり言う内弁慶だ。 | He doesn’t say a single word in meetings, but once he gets home he does nothing but complain — a real lion at home, mouse at work. |
| 12 | 内弁慶な人は、外でため込んだ不満を家族にぶつけてしまうことがある。 | People who are meek outside the home sometimes take out their frustrations on their family. |
| 13 | 彼女が内弁慶だと気づいたのは、職場での様子を見てからだ。 | I realized she was only assertive at home after seeing how she behaved at work. |
| 14 | 内弁慶を克服するには、少しずつ外で自己表現する練習が必要だ。 | To overcome being timid outside the home, you need to gradually practice expressing yourself in public. |
| 15 | 彼は上司の前では何も言えないくせに、家では奥さんに強く当たる内弁慶だ。 | He can’t say anything in front of his boss, yet he’s harsh with his wife at home — a true lion at home, mouse abroad. |
| 16 | 内弁慶な性格は、幼少期の環境が影響していることが多い。 | A personality that is bold only at home is often shaped by one’s environment during childhood. |
| 17 | 彼女は外では人当たりがいいのに、家族には厳しい内弁慶な一面がある。 | She comes across as pleasant to others, but she has a side that is surprisingly harsh with her own family. |
| 18 | 内弁慶な人は、外でのストレスを家庭に持ち込みやすい。 | People who are only assertive at home tend to bring their outside stress into their family life. |
| 19 | 彼は内弁慶なので、外での人間関係に悩んでいる。 | Because he’s only confident at home, he struggles with relationships outside the house. |
| 20 | 内弁慶を直すには、まず自分の気持ちを素直に伝える練習をするといい。 | To stop being timid outside the home, it helps to start by practicing expressing your feelings honestly. |
💡 ポイント：よく使う英語表現まとめ
- 「内弁慶」→ a lion at home, a mouse abroad
- 「外では大人しい」→ timid / meek / quiet outside
- 「家では強気」→ bold / bossy / assertive at home
- 「内弁慶を直す」→ overcome being timid outside / build confidence in public
- 「ため込む」→ bottle up stress / hold it all in
Conversation example
内弁慶についての会話例
会話 1: 友達同士の会話
Between friends
A: ねえ、田中くんって学校ではすごく静かだよね。 A: Hey, Tanaka is really quiet at school, isn’t he?
B: そうなんだよ。でも家ではめちゃくちゃうるさいらしいよ。妹がぼやいてた。 B: I know. But apparently he’s super loud at home. His sister was complaining about it.
A: え、全然想像できない！学校では一言もしゃべらないのに。 A: No way, I can’t picture that at all! He barely says a word at school.
B: 典型的な内弁慶だよね。外では緊張しちゃうタイプなんじゃないかな。 B: He’s a classic lion at home, mouse abroad. He’s probably the type who gets nervous outside.
A: なんかわかる気がする。私も知らない人の前だと緊張するし。 A: I kind of get that. I get nervous in front of people I don’t know too.
B: でも田中くんの場合、家と外での差がすごすぎるよね（笑） B: But in Tanaka’s case, the difference between home and outside is just too extreme (laughs).
会話 2: 夫婦の会話
Between a married couple
妻: あなたって、会社ではどんな感じなの？ Wife: What are you like at work, anyway?
夫: え、どういう意味？ Husband: What do you mean by that?
妻: だって家ではいつも私に文句ばかり言うくせに、会社では何も言えないって同僚の奥さんから聞いたよ。 Wife: Because you’re always complaining to me at home, but I heard from your colleague’s wife that you never speak up at work.
夫: う…それは会社では言いにくいことがあるからで…。 Husband: Well… there are just things that are hard to say at work…
妻: 要するに内弁慶ってことじゃない。家族には強く言えるのに、外では何も言えないなんて。 Wife: So basically you’re a lion at home and a mouse abroad. You can speak your mind to your family, but not to anyone outside.
夫: そう言われると耳が痛いな。気をつけるようにするよ。 Husband: That stings to hear. I’ll try to be more aware of it.
会話 3: 親同士の会話
Between parents
A: うちの子、学校では全然しゃべらないって先生に言われて心配で。 A: I’m worried because the teacher told me my child barely talks at school.
B: え、でも家ではどうなの？ B: Really? But what are they like at home?
A: 家ではうるさいくらいよ。弟にも強く当たるし、全然別人みたい。 A: At home they’re almost too noisy. They’re quite harsh with their younger brother too — like a completely different child.
B: あー、内弁慶なのかもね。うちの子も小さい頃そうだったよ。 B: Ah, they might just be a lion at home and a mouse abroad. My child was the same way when they were little.
A: そうなの？今はどう？ A: Really? How are they now?
B: 習い事を始めてから、外でも少しずつ自信がついてきたみたい。いろんな子と関わる機会が増えたのが良かったのかも。 B: After starting extracurricular activities, they gradually built up confidence outside the home too. Having more chances to interact with different kids probably helped.
A: なるほど。うちの子にも何か習い事させてみようかな。 A: I see. Maybe I should sign my child up for something too.
会話 4: 職場での会話
Between coworkers
A: 鈴木くんって、会議では一言も発言しないよね。 A: Suzuki never says a word in meetings, does he?
B: そうなんだよね。でも飲み会のときはめちゃくちゃ話すんだよ。 B: That’s true. But when we go out for drinks, he talks non-stop.
A: え、本当に？全然想像できない。 A: Seriously? I can’t imagine that at all.
B: うん。お酒が入るとリラックスするのか、すごく面白いんだよ。奥さんにもかなり強く意見を言うらしいし。 B: Yeah. He seems to relax once he has a drink — he’s actually really funny. Apparently he’s quite vocal with his wife too.
A: 典型的な内弁慶じゃないか。職場で緊張しているだけで、本当はちゃんと意見があるんだろうね。 A: Sounds like a classic lion at home, mouse abroad. He probably has plenty of opinions — he just gets nervous at work.
B: そうだと思う。もっとリラックスして発言できる雰囲気を作ってあげたいよね。 B: I think so too. I’d love to help create an atmosphere where he feels relaxed enough to speak up.
会話 5: SNSのコメント欄（想定）
Social media comment exchange
投稿: 自分が内弁慶なの、どうにかしたい。外では全然自分の意見が言えないのに、家に帰ると家族に当たってしまう😔 Post: I really want to do something about being a lion at home and a mouse abroad. I can never speak my mind outside, but when I get home I end up taking it out on my family 😔
コメント1: わかりすぎる。外でため込んだものを家族にぶつけてしまうのって、自己嫌悪になるよね。 Comment 1: I relate to this so much. Taking out everything you’ve bottled up outside on your family really makes you hate yourself, doesn’t it.
コメント2: 少しずつ外で自己主張する練習をするといいよ。最初はカフェで注文するときとか、小さいことから始めてみて。 Comment 2: Try practicing being assertive outside little by little. Start small — like when you’re ordering at a café.
コメント3: 私もそうだった。話し方教室に通ったら、だいぶ変わったよ。外での自信がついてきた感じ。 Comment 3: I used to be the same way. Taking a public speaking class really changed things for me. I started feeling a lot more confident outside the home.
コメント4: 内弁慶って結局、外でのストレスが原因のことが多いよね。根本的な原因を探ってみるのもいいかも。 Comment 4: Being a lion at home and a mouse abroad often comes down to stress from the outside world. It might be worth looking into the root cause.
💡 よく使う表現まとめ:
- 「内弁慶だ」→ be a lion at home and a mouse abroad
- 「外で自己主張する」→ speak up / be assertive outside
- 「ため込む」→ bottle up / hold it all in
- 「家族に当たる」→ take it out on one’s family
- 「自信がつく」→ build confidence / gain confidence
- 「外で緊張する」→ get nervous outside / feel tense around others
