かまう

かまう · kamau · JLPT N4 · verb-godan

to mind

sounds like calm, ow: too calm to mind until the ow makes you care

kamau echoes calm + ow. If you are calm you do not mind; the ow is the moment you start to care. Most often heard in the negative: kamawanai = I do not mind, it does not matter.

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