In ancient times Japanese people divided the year into 72 “micro-seasons”. These seasons were based on natural events such as the weather and appearance of various flora and fauna. Later this month it will be 菖蒲華, marking period when irises begin to bloom. You can find out more about Japanese micro-seasons here.
Category Archives: Japanese language
恩 (on) “favour, gratitude, obligation”
“On” is the concept of having received a great favour, feeling grateful, and knowing that you owe somebody a lot. The way it is used in Japanese makes it seem like less of a subjective feeling, and more of a tangible object, like a thing that you now possess because somebody helped you greatly. InContinueContinue reading “恩 (on) “favour, gratitude, obligation””
あけおめ (a-ké-o-mé) “Happy New Year”
To wish someone “Happy New Year” in Japanese, say: あけましておめでとうございます！ (a-ké-ma-shi-té o-mé-dé-tō go-zai-masu) Or, more casually, take the first 2 syllables from each word and say: あけおめ！ (a-ké-o-mé)
影 (ka-ge) “shadow”
Japanese kanji characters are made up of smaller parts. The left hand side of a kanji is called then “hen”. In the case of 影, the “hen” is 景, which means “scenery” and can be a complete kanji by itself. The right hand side of a kanji is called the “tsukuri”. In this case theContinueContinue reading “影 (ka-ge) “shadow””
金 (kin) “Gold” or “Money”
It’s Golden Week in Japan! So I wrote “Gold”. “Golden Week” (Sometimes abbreviated to “GW”) is a week beginning 29th April, containing multiple public holidays in a row. This year, the dates of the holidays are: Saturday 29th April: Showa Day Wednesday 3rd May: Constitution Memorial Day Thursday 4th May: Greenery Day Friday 5th May:ContinueContinue reading “金 (kin) “Gold” or “Money””
皐月 (sa-tsu-ki) “May”
Like many countries, Japan uses a 12-month calendar. The names are very simple. January is 一月 (ichi-gatsu, literally “Month one”), February is 二月 (ni-gatsu, “Month two”), etc. However, before the Meiji Restoration (mid-1800s) it was common to use an older 12-month system. These months’ names referenced the weather and the seasons (similar to the FrenchContinueContinue reading “皐月 (sa-tsu-ki) “May””
放 (hanasu) “let go”
Freedom is found in letting go of desires, attachments, opinions, and other burdens which no longer serve us. The more we let go into grace, the more we gain. Living freely, without grasping. Each moment is enough, just as it is.
金継 (kin-tsu-gi) “celebrate your flaws!”
“Kintsugi” is to the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold or silver lacquer. The flaws become a decoration, and the pottery becomes more beautiful. This idea is part of the concept of “wabi-sabi”, in which imperfections and wear-and-tear are considered elegant.
仁 (jin) “benevolence”
One of the 7 virtues of bushido. “Jin” is also one of the most fundamental virtues of Confucianism (from which much of traditional Japanese morality was based), which could be defined as to treat each other with tenderness; to love each other. Samurai were expected to be benevolent. However, this was not the blind benevolenceContinueContinue reading “仁 (jin) “benevolence””
Calligraphy by Vicky 