This is the “-dō” in the Japanese martial arts of judō, kendō and aikidō, as well as shodō (calligraphy), sadō (tea ceremony) and many others. Loosely translated, it means “way”, “route”, “path” or “doctrine”. My calligraphy teacher said that studying a Japanese art is considered similar to taking a journey up a mountain. The summitContinueContinue reading “道 (dō) “Way”, “Route”, “The Tao””
Tag Archives: 書道
巳 The Year of the Snake
Like many East Asian countries, Japan uses the 12-animal Chinese zodiac. 2025 is the year of the Snake 🐍 The kanji for “snake” is usually 蛇 (hebi). However the kanji for animals in the Chinese Zodiac are different. Snake is 巳.
蛇 (hebi) “snake” 🐍
Like many East Asian countries, Japan uses the 12-animal Chinese zodiac. 2025 is the year of the Snake 🐍
冬 (fuyu) “winter”
睦月 (mu-tsu-ki) “January” (archaic)
Like many countries, Japan uses a 12-month calendar. The names are very simple. January is literally “Month One”, February is “Month Two”, etc: 一月 = January 二月 = February 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 toContinueContinue reading “睦月 (mu-tsu-ki) “January” (archaic)”
抱負 (hō-fu) resolution
Some more new year’s related vocabulary. New Year’s resolutions are just as popular in Japan as they are in western countries. In Japanese “New Year’s resolution” is 新年の抱負 (shin-nen-hō-fu). 新年 = New Year (see my previous post) 抱負 = resolution What’s your new year’s resolution?
新年 (shin-nen) New Year
The New Year’s holiday is one of the most important times for Japanese people. It’s a time to clean the house, make resolutions, forget the old year, and make a clean start. The kanji should be pretty easy for Japanese learners:新 = new (pronounced “a-ta-ra-shi-i” by itself, and “shin” when in conjunction with other kanji)年ContinueContinue reading “新年 (shin-nen) New Year”
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””
桜梅桃李 (ō-bai-tō-ri) “never compare yourself to others”
This yo-ji-juku-go (Japanese 4-character idiom) is comprised of 4 beloved Japanese trees. They are: 桜 = cherry (sakura) 梅 = apricot (ume) 桃 = peach (momo) 李 = plum (sumomo) 桜 (sakura) are of course the cherry blossom trees famous for blooming spectacularly and incredibly briefly once a year, usually in April. Sakura trees inContinueContinue reading “桜梅桃李 (ō-bai-tō-ri) “never compare yourself to others””
Calligraphy by Vicky 