Some seasonal calligraphy specially for summertime! The kanji are: 夏 = summer 雲 = cloud(s) 奇 = strange 峰 = peak It references the white fluffy clouds of summer which take many different shapes, including strange mountains! This phrase is a special kind of Japaneses idiom known as a 四字熟語 (よじじゅくご、yo-ji-juku-go), or 4-character idiom. AsContinueContinue reading “夏雲奇峰 (natsu-gumo-ki-hou) “Summer clouds shaped like strange mountains””
Category Archives: Nature
菖蒲華 (Ayame hana saku) “Irises bloom”
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.
春雨 (harusamé) “gentle spring rain”
April is a rainy month in my home country of the UK.
彗星 (suisei) comet
Those of you who like to learn Japanese through watching anime will recognise 彗星 from the movie “Your Name” (君の名は, Kimi no na wa). Whilst I love that movie, I wrote this word purely because I love the first kanji 彗. When I first saw it I was surprised I’d never encountered it before. It’sContinueContinue reading “彗星 (suisei) comet”
水仙 (suisen) “daffodil”
This calligraphy is 水仙, or daffodil. It’s a very common flower in the UK where I live. It’s associated with spring, and in particular Easter 🐣 It’s also the national flower of Wales 🏴. Yesterday was a special day in Wales – the day of Saint David, the Welsh national saint.
富士 Fuji
The kanji for the tallest and most famous mountain in Japan are suitably distinguished: 富 = riches, wealth, fortune 士 = gentleman, scholar However there is a theory that the above kanji are ateji (kanji which are used to phonetically represent other words) for 不 and 死. 不 = un, not 死 = death InContinueContinue reading “富士 Fuji”
Calligraphy by Vicky 