指切り+ 約束 =yubikiri+yakusoku (Mini Lesson #142)
「約束ね！指切りしよ！」
= Yakusoku ne! Yubikiri shiyo!
= Let’s make a promise with pinkie?
「針、千本かあ…」
= Hari senbon kaa…
=Um…(if I break my promise, I need to swallow) one thousand needles, huh?
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Today’s word is 指切り= yubikiri
指= yubi = fingers
切り = kiri = cutting
Yes, it’s about cutting fingers. Are you scared? I am! 
The verb form is
•指切りする
= yubikiri suru
or
•指切りをする
= yubikiri wo suru
It is a gesture to make a promise or to swear to keep one’s words by interlocking one’s pinkies.
You might have seen some Japanese kids stick out their pinkie saying,
「約束だよ！」
= Yakusoku dayo!
“Promise?”
It is mainly for children but sometimes even grownups (usually women) say this when they want other people to make a promise,
「じゃあ、指切りしよう！」/ 「指切りね！」
= Jaa yubikiri shiyou! ? /Yubikirine!
OK, then let’s make a promise and swear with pinkies.
We hook pinkie with each other like this 
and sing this “oath” ,
指切げんまん(=拳万)、嘘ついたら針千本呑(=飲)ます!
= Yubikiri genman uso tsuitara hari senbon nomasu.
= Yubikiri genman (=Cutting fingers- punching with fists 10,000 times), if you lie, I will make you swallow (drink) one thousand needles.
•拳= gen = it is read as “kobushi “= fist (supposedly to hit someone with one’s fist)
•万 = man = 10,000
•嘘ついたら = uso tsuitara = (conditional) If you lie
•針 = hari = needles
•千本= senbon = 1,000 pieces (of needles) We count sticks or long items with 本 (=hon/bon/pon)
( 
Go check my counter lesson)
•吞ます(or 飲ます）= nomasu = to make someone drink/swallow
Sometimes it follows with a line,
指切った
= Yubi kitta
= Have cut a finger!
So you will see how dangerous it will be if you lie. You have to swallow a thousand needles or you will get ten thousands fist punches. Oh my… 
Cultural Note : This is a traditional children song that everybody in Japan knows.
But it is said that the origin of 指切り(=yubikiri) goes back to 江戸時代(= Edo jidai), Edo Period.
Some 遊女(=yuujo) prostitutes in 遊郭(=yuukaku)the red-light district cut off the tip of their pinkie and gave it away to their important customer to show their loyalty and love.
(Some says they actually faked it buying a pinkie of cadaver and gave it to their customer.)
I am so happy that I don’t have a pinkie…
So, when children swear something with their friends or parents, they do 指切り(= yubikiri)
「マギーちゃん、私達はずっとお友達だよ！」
= Maggie chan watashitachi wa zutto otomodachi dayo.
= Maggie, we are going to be friends forever!
「うん、じゃあ約束！」
= Un jaa yakusoku!
= Yes, then let’s make a promise.
And hook our pinkies, and while shaking the interlocked pinkies up and down, we sing
指切りげんまん（=拳万）、嘘ついたら….
= Yubikiri genman, uso tsuitara….
Now “promise” in Japanese is
約束= yakusoku
verb form is
to make a promise
約束する
= yakusoku suru
or
約束をする
= yakusoku wo suru
Ex. 「お父さん、どうして遊園地に連れて行ってくれないの？約束したじゃない！」
= Otōsan doushite yūenchi ni tsurete itte kurenai no? Yakusoku shitajanai!
= Dad, how come you don’t take me to the amusement park? We promised!
to keep one’s word, to keep one’s promise
is
約束を守る
= yakusoku wo mamoru
The negative form is
約束を守らない
= Yakusoku wo mamoranai
Ex. 彼はいつも約束を守らない。
= Kare wa itsumo yakusoku wo mamoranai.
= He always fails to keep his promise.
to break one’s promise is
約束を破る
= yakusoku wo yaburu
Note : 約束(=yakusoku) also has a meaning of engagement, plans, appointment or a date with someone
Ex.今日は友達とランチの約束がある。
= Kyō wa tomodachi to ranchi no yakusoku ga aru.
= I have a lunch date with my friend.
Ex. ６時にちょっと約束があるからもう行かないと。
= Rokuji ni chotto yakusoku ga arukara mou ikanaito.
= I have some plans at 6 o’clock so I gotta go.
If you have an appointment for a beauty salon, dentist, doctor, etc, we call it 予約=yoyaku= reservation
マギー先生より = Maggie Sensei yori = From Maggie Sensei
みんな、毎日このブログに来てね。約束だよ！
= Minna mainichi kono burogu ni kite ne. Yakusoku dayo!
= Come to this blog every day! We promise, OK?
23 Responses to “指切り+ 約束 =yubikiri+yakusoku (Mini Lesson #142) ”
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@maggiesensei 
chibola on April 23rd, 2012
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THESE LESSONS! AS ALWAYS, THEY ARE WONDERFUL
!
Maggie on April 23rd, 2012
@chibola
Oh Thank YOU for visiting the site and leaving the nice comment!!
Manju on July 14th, 2011
Good morning Maggie Sensei,
What’s the word for “Favor” in japanese?
like saying “I want to return the favor to you” or “repay you back”
Thank you
Maggie on July 15th, 2011
@Manju
to return the favor is 恩返しをする=ongaeshi wo suru Or you can simply say お返しをする
Ex. いつかあなたに恩返しをしたいです。
Ex. あの時のお返しです。
Manju on July 15th, 2011
naruhodo ne. itsumo aritgou Maggie sensei.
Maggie on July 16th, 2011
@Manju
どういたしまして♪
Keekii on June 26th, 2011
Interesting lesson. I think the “prostitute story” will make it easier to remember the expression. Sometimes you need to be able to link a word to something else in order to remember it properly. But I’m a bit confused of who it is that makes these lessons. Has Victor nothing to do with it besides promoting it? And is Maggie and Yukari the same person? Sorry if I’m asking stupid questions, but I couldn’t find any explanation anywhere… But great site ;)
Yukari on June 28th, 2011
@Keekii
Hi! Thank you for visiting this lesson. All the lessons are created by Yukari. Maggie is Victor’s dog. she wants to help me but she only has paws so it is hard to type. But she gave me a great inspiration. Victor has been helping me promote and proofread the lessons. He is great!
寝ちゃま on June 25th, 2011
久しすぎたね、先生：) This lesson was great, I haven’t had the time I used to—I’ve been lurking though：）The part about the prostitutes was funny in a strange way. I love learning about the etymology of words and expressions.
じゃまたね、先生ェ~
ーりゅう
Maggie on June 28th, 2011
@寝ちゃま
久しぶり!! 元気だった? Hope you come here more often!
Amelie on June 23rd, 2011
Thanks for the lesson, Sensei. I bookmarked your site and I’ll always come back.
Maggie on June 23rd, 2011
@Amelie
Great! Now you are 常連さん= jouren san = regular ( a person who comes visit frequently.)
Delphine on June 23rd, 2011
Thanks for an awesome lesson! This site is really great!!
Maggie on June 23rd, 2011
@Delphine
Thank you for your nice comment!!! Hope you come back!
Mari on June 23rd, 2011
I can’t make a promise that I cannot keep, otherwise I’ll have to swallow 1000 needles lol
But I will stick around for sure.
PS: I like to colors of the website, very balanced, you designed it yourself Victor ?
Yukari on June 23rd, 2011
@Mari
Hi Mari! Thank you for visiting this site! Victor has been helping me a lot to promote this blog but actually Maggie and Yukari are making lessons and Depointless designed the website for us.
We really like it!
shirankao69 on June 22nd, 2011
Never knew that bit about the prostitutes. Pretty interesting. Thanks
Maggie on June 22nd, 2011
@shirankao69
Thank you for the comment! Hope you come back! 指切り！？
shirankao69 on June 25th, 2011
Thanks for the reply, I’ll have a look from time to time
Maggie on June 28th, 2011
@shirankao69
I am always waiting your visit here!
Aki on June 21st, 2011
Haha, the prostitute part was random and kinda disgusting :S
THANK YOU for another wonderful lesson!!!
毎日新しいレッスンをアップしたらきっとブログに来るよ！＾～＾
Aki on June 21st, 2011
Cause I think I’ve seen pretty much all the other ones ;)
Maggie on June 21st, 2011
@Aki
I know…it was scary and disgusting but when we do or say 指切り, we almost NEVER think about the origin of the word or we don’t even know how it started. It is just a cute way to make a promise.
You are the ideal visitor of this site! But do come back!