睦 = good relationships 月 = month The modern Japanese word for January is 一 (literally “1st Month”), however in the old-fashioned calendar this was known as 睦月, or “the month for good relationships”. The January New Year’s period is the longest and most important holiday in the Japanese calendar. Most Japanese people visit theirContinueContinue reading “睦月 (mu-tsu-ki) “January” (archaic)”
Tag Archives: Calligraphy
辰 (tatsu) “dragon” (in the Chinese zodiac)
2024 is the Year of the Dragon. The usual Japanese way of writing “dragon” is 龍, but if you’re talking about the dragon in the Chinese Zodiac, it’s a different character – 辰. The Year of the Dragon is said to bring growth, abundance and good fortune. Here’s to an abundant and fortunate 2024 🙂
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)
師走 (shiwasu) “December” (archaic)
師 can refer to a teacher, a mentor, often in a religious sense. In this word, it means a monk. In December, monks are super busy preparing for the New Year’s festival, hence why the last month of the year is literally “the month of running monks”.
秋 (aki) “autumn”
According to many of my students, Japan didn’t really have much of an autumn this year. Instead of having four equally long seasons, Japan is starting to have long summers, long winters, and too-short springs and autumns. Which is a shame because autumn is a lovely season when many people like to go an admireContinueContinue reading “秋 (aki) “autumn””
陰陽 (in-yō) “yin-yang”
Yin is dark, cold, receptive, magnetic. Yang is light, hot, giving, active. Yin and Yang are relative. The element of water is usually considered very Yin, but fast-moving water is Yang compared to still water. Both are present in everything. Rather than being opposites, they are two sides of the same coin. A cup isContinueContinue reading “陰陽 (in-yō) “yin-yang””
神無月 (kan-na-zuki) – “October” (archaic)
神 = god無 = not月 = month The modern Japanese word for October is 十月 (literally “10th Month), however in the old-fashioned calendar is was known as 神無月, or “the month with no gods”. This is because in October, all the gods in Japan (there are believed to be 8 million of them) go toContinueContinue reading “神無月 (kan-na-zuki) – “October” (archaic)”
方と気 Form & Energy
The poet William Blake proposed that two types of people exist: the “energetic creators” and the “rational organizers”, or, as he calls them in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, the “devils” and “angels”. According to Blake, both are necessary to life. Often both can be found in a single person. He said we should goContinueContinue reading “方と気 Form & Energy”
Pain is inevitable, but suffering depends on you!
My housemate wanted a Japanese translation of the above title, written in Japanese calligraphy. It’s one of his favourite quotes, and we originally thought it was an ancient Buddhist phrase. However… after a lot digging on the Internet to find a Japanese translation…. it seems that the original phrase is actually Japanese! It comes fromContinueContinue reading “Pain is inevitable, but suffering depends on you!”
Calligraphy by Vicky 