Unusual Japanese words with a subtle meaning that will resonate with us too

Every language has words and expressions that are difficult or even impossible to accurately translate. They are understandable only to those people for whom this language is native. In translation, these words and expressions may sound funny, comical or completely incomprehensible. For example, the Russian expression “turning everything upside down” surprises many foreigners.

The Japanese language also has words and expressions that are well understood only by the Japanese, and sometimes they lead students of this language into a dead end. Japan is a country with a rich history. Her complex language reflects this. It provides an opportunity to better understand the culture of the Japanese people.

The Japanese language is very colorful. It contains a lot of fun, colorful and useful words, the meaning of which does not have an exact translation into other languages.

The language of a country can be used to judge the culture and attitudes of the people who use it. Of course, there are many words in Japanese that simply have no equivalent. These can be poetic and spiritual phrases, and sometimes they are just short funny jokes and anecdotes. All these words will surely bring a smile to your face. Perhaps they will make you think about why your language does not have such words and expressions.

Mono no aware (物の哀れ)

Mono no aware is an expression that is very similar to wabi-sabi. It refers to understanding the bittersweet impermanence of fleeting beauty. Nothing in this life lasts forever. This is in keeping with the Buddhist idea of ​​enjoying the moment and trusting to fate.

Although both of these words are old-fashioned, the phrase mono no aware appears in one of Marie Kondo's books. This suggests that perhaps it is time to use it in modern life.

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Beautiful and pompous expressions of Japanese 美化語 (bikago)

Beautiful and pompous expressions of Japanese 美化語 (bikago)

What is 美化語 (bikago)? What is the difference between 美化語 (bikago) and 敬語 (keigo) and 丁寧語（ていねいご）? Why do the Japanese use 美化語 in their speech (or not)? These and other questions will be addressed in today's post.

According to Wikipedia. Bikago, like a set of beautiful words and phrases, is used by the Japanese in conversation to impress their interlocutor with special sophistication. Also, to express your respect and care for the listener, 丁寧語 (ていねいご） is used. Often it is 美化語、 in their speech. The main distinctive feature of the use of 美化語 is the massive presence of polite prefixes お・ご, which are added to nouns. Also美化語 is a narrower concept; this set of vocabulary can be included in the system of constructing polite expressions 丁寧語.

What exactly is the difference between 美化語 and 丁寧語？

丁寧語 is primarily the use of the です・ます forms. And 美化語 is precisely the “embellishment” of words, which often retain their meaning and simply look more beautiful. Grammatically, 美化語 is neither 丁寧語 nor 敬語, although it can be included in both systems of polite phrase construction. Sometimes 美化語 may be classified as part of 丁寧語. However, we must remember that 美化語 may not be entirely grammatically correct and may differ from the standard instructions in grammar textbooks.

Thus, honorific お can even be added to words regardless of their origin. “Incorrect” 美化語 such as オズボン（おずぼん）or even the use of お勉強・ご勉強 will be discussed below.

And, of course, it is also worth remembering that some cliche phrases 美化語 come from traditional Japanese women's speech.

Now for some examples of using 美化語.

Several sources on the Internet offer similar examples of trying to get your sensee drunk:

「先生は酒を召し上がりますか。」->

「先生，酒をお注ぎしましょう。」->先生，お酒をお注ぎしましょう。（美化語）

First sentence: Sense, will you drink sake?

Second sentence: Can I pour you some sake?

Examples highlighted in green refer to 美化語. In the second case it is also worth noting. that here we see the use of double keigo, which according to textbooks (classics of the genre) is not entirely stylistically correct, but this does not mean that this should not happen in life. Also, you will probably find the phrase somewhat similar to バイト敬語. Indeed, one can often come across the theory that byto-keigo, which is famous for the use of double keigo, originated precisely from the buttering up of clients by women, and the double “preening of words” made the tongue sickly sweet and attractive to clients. There was a kind of shy-cute-saccharine speech.

The above examples are taken from here.

Women try to use 美化語, adding お・ご to the most everyday words. When combined with keigo, you get something like:

?ろしいとおもいますわ) – I think it’s better for you not to eat this rice .

How is 美化語 formed? Basic principles

As you know, according to the classical rules of grammar and word construction, polite versions of words of Japanese origin are appended with the prefix お, and words of Chinese origin are appended with the prefix ご、, which is not added to words ending with お-. み-, おみ-, and also おんみ-.

Basic principles. List of commonly used words of Japanese origin

お酒(おさけ) – sake, sakeお体 (おからだ） － body (including and in the context of the state of the body, health)お顔 (おかお) – face (including and in the context of reputation )お天気 (おてんき） － weatherお菓子 (おかし） － sweets ) mealお名前 (おなまえ） － name (translated according to the 美化語 system and I want to use “how to call you” instead of “what is your name”)お料理 （おりょうり） － dishesお飲み物 (おのみもの） － drinksお店 (おみせ） － establishmentお庭 (おにわ） － garden, a park

Basic principles. List of frequently used words of Chinese origin

ご飯 (ごはん） － boiled rice, foodご気分(ごきぶん） －well-beingご希望 (ごきぼう） － wishesご機嫌 (ごきげん） －so state of health, moodご挨拶 (ごあいさつ） － greetingご連絡( )こん） － marriage _ご祝儀 (ごしゅうぎ） －celebratory ceremony

However, there is a list of words where the presence of お・ご (or absence, depending on which end you look at) greatly changes the context of use.

めし(rice, food, and even in slang “food”) ⇒ごはん(meal, rice, meal)

汁（しる can be both juice and broth) ⇒おつゆ ( more soup, broth)

水 (みずjust water) ⇒おひや (お冷cold water, icy water)

便所 (べんじょtoilet, latrine) ⇒お手洗い (おてあらいー “place for washing hands”, “toilet”)

うまい(delicious, often 旨い and used in simple colloquial speech)⇒おいしい (美味しい、 often used in more polite speech, “delicious”)

腹 (はら、 belly, 腹減った– eager to eat or even hungry) ⇒おなか (お腹 – stomach, insides. お腹が空きました– willing to eat or even hungry. Much more polite style)

It is also worth expanding this list, where it is not just the context that changes, but the meaning of the word in general:

八つ (eight) -> お八つ（おやつ）, afternoon tea

主人 (しゅじん、 master, master) – > ご主人（ごしゅじん、 husband)

家族 (かぞく just family, including mine) -> ご家族（ごかぞく your family is respectful, or the family of someone whom the speaker treats with respect)

釣り (つり、 fishing) -> お釣り（おつり、 change, small coins)

Incorrect 美化語

All that remains is to talk about the so-called incorrect 美化語、 without mentioning which, not a single publication about embellishing words can do.

For example, オズボン、お勉強、were already mentioned above, also from one of the links given in this publication you can find that sake can be either お酒 or ご酒 (so don’t be alarmed if you ever hear this from the native of the Country of Origin of the Sun).

Also within 美化語、 you can hear incorrect expressions:

おトイレ – toilet おコーヒー – coffee おビール – beer おタバコ – cigarettes, tobacco おソース – sauce おテーブル – table

おズボン was already mentioned at the very beginning. Such words are completely incorrect from a lexical point of view. However, they exist and you should not be alarmed if you suddenly hear:

Would you like coffee or tea? What do we choose? (バイト敬語、baitokeigo based on bikago)

Yes, yes, if you noted to yourself that one way or another, words of foreign origin, to which お・ご, as you know, does not join, are associated with the environment of service, shopping and food. Accordingly, we are again faced with the theory of buttering up the client and adding sophistication to one’s speech through the use of お・ご、 even where it is not entirely correct grammatically. That is why the words were highlighted in red, because their use does not correspond to correct word formation.

However! Such incorrect words can also be pronounced with irony and malice. For example, 、お注射いかが？ – Prick? (if you are not in the center of aesthetic cosmetology, where they use the wrong keigo-bikago when dealing with a client, then this phrase is full of malice, even despite a set of polite words).

At the end of the publication, several important facts should be noted.

• 美化語, despite the fact that they originated from a feminine language, are not necessarily used by women. When communicating with clients where バイト敬語 is used, at least you can hear 美化語 from men
• 美化語 – not necessarily always the incorrect use of words, this was already mentioned above (when lists of words formed in the correct way were given)
• There are 美化語、 without which you simply cannot do in formal and polite communication. This means that this completely excludes the myth mentioned above. Mandatory 美化語、, for example, include お茶, ご飯、 お化け、 お世辞、お腹（おなか）

One of the sources used for this publication can be found here.

This publication was compiled from many sources + what was overheard during lectures in Japanese class. When copying, a link to this publication is required!

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KY or kuki yomenai

The English letters KY are used as an abbreviation for the Japanese phrase kuki yomenai, which means "can't read the room." More literally it means "can't read the air." A person is called KY if he behaves awkwardly or inappropriately.

Japan has a very high-context culture, which means that many social interactions have an implied meaning. Explicit or direct statements are not welcome. If this conflicts with your own cultural perception, you will find Japanese conversation difficult at first.

Other parts of speech

Tsundoku (積ん読)

Tsundoku is made up of the words “tsun,” which means “to accumulate,” and “doku,” which means “to read.” This word is used when someone buys a lot of books but does not read them. This leads to a lot of unread books collecting in the house.

If you realize that you have a craving for tsundok, you should immediately read a book or two.

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Educational tours to Japan: Japanese language, studying in Japan, Japanese language courses in Japan.

Many foreigners who decide to learn Japanese at a language school in Japan are often afraid to begin the learning process itself. This is primarily due to the fear of being misunderstood by the Japanese when in the country. Of course, studying at a language school in Japan quickly bears fruit, but especially for those who decide to go to study in Japan, we have prepared a selection of useful phrases and expressions that will be useful for beginners and those who have already learned the Japanese language.

A few more useful phrases and expressions:

もしもし (moshi moshi) is a phrase that Japanese people use when answering a phone call. If you decide to learn Japanese at a language school in Japan, you will hear this phrase very often. However, もしもし does not mean greeting at all. The word comes from the verb 申す (mōsu), equivalent to 言う (iu) - to say. The original phrase used was 申し上げます (mōshiagemasu) = "I'm going to say (speak)", which used to be widely used during the Edo period to talk to people of higher status. Over time, the phrase mentioned was shortened to the one we hear today.

Batan-kyu (ばたんきゅう)

Batan-kyu is an onomatopoeia that relates to cartoons and the most awkward moments of our lives, as it describes the sound of a hard fall (batan) and the silence that follows it (kyu). To better understand this expression, think about the time you fell on a busy street. You felt not so much pain as awkwardness and even shame. You wanted no one to see you fall, but someone asked if you were okay.

Kōyō (紅葉)

This Japanese word translates to something like “autumn foliage.” It describes the vibrant colors of leaves in autumn. However, this concept is difficult to translate. Autumn leaves are more important in Japan than in most other countries, as nowhere else has such colorful red foliage at this time of year. Millions of tourists from all over the world come to this country to see the most magnificent leaves on the trees from the best viewing platforms.

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The money tree pleases with lush flowering: my secret is in caring for the leaves

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Nouns

Kuchisabishi (口寂しい)

This charming phrase, which literally means “the mouth is lonely,” describes eating out of boredom, not because one is hungry. Each of us has experienced this unjustified pleasure at least once in our lives. We devoured food when there was simply nothing else to do. Perhaps if you give this bad habit a name in Russian, it will be easier to find something else to do?

Secrets of the English language

You've probably heard of Japanese words that are so deeply rooted in English that they have long since entered the English dictionary, such as kamikaze or tsunami, which are pronounced [ka-mi-ka-zay] and [tsu-na-mee] . At first glance, it may seem difficult to remember at least a few more Japanese nouns, but in fact, you know a lot more of them than you think. Remembering the culture of this amazing country, karatekas with a chopping blow (karate chop), geisha (geisha) who wear kimono come to mind. And, of course, Japanese dishes come to mind: miso soup [mee-so], sushi [soo-shee]) and sake (sake [sah-kay]).

If Japanese cuisine doesn't mean anything to you, perhaps words like karate, judo and ninja are more familiar to you. Not everyone knows that the word "karate", which entered English in 1947, consists of two words: "Kara" = empty and "te" = hand, therefore it is translated as "empty hands". If you practice one of the three martial arts (karate, judo, or jiu jitsu [joo-ji-tsu]), you will meet a teacher (a sensei [sen-say]) at the martial arts studio ( the dojo [doe-joe]). If you are attracted to the elusive ninja, then you need to master the martial art of ninjutsu (nin-joo-tsu).

And, of course, you've heard of the kimono, the silk garment worn by Japanese women, and the obi [oh-bee], the ribbon that ties the kimono, and the geisha ladies. Translated from Japanese, a geisha is a woman skilled in various arts: dancing, singing, playing musical instruments, calligraphy, etc.

After all the food, martial arts and entertainment, you deserve to relax on a traditional Japanese futon called a futon. This mattress is rolled up in the morning and stored, because... Japanese homes often have limited space.

Now let's look at English words that also have Japanese roots, but you don't even know it. First of all, we can play Sudoku or Kenken - games with numbers. The word "Sudoku" is a short version of a Japanese phrase that means "digits can only be used once." As for “Kenken”, this word is translated from Japanese as “wisdom”, so to solve a puzzle like this, you need to apply a double dose of wisdom.

We can't help but think of the Japanese word karaoke, meaning "empty orchestra."

In addition to the Japanese words that have found their way into English, there is also a category that includes words whose origins are related to the Japanese language, for example, the English word “rickshaw”, derived from the Japanese jinrikisha [jin-ricky-shah]. Another such word is "tycoon" (financial tycoon), which comes from the Japanese word taikun, [tie-coon], originally meaning "great prince." Then there is the word "honcho", which is slang for "boss" and comes from the Japanese hancho, [hahn-choe], meaning "group leader".

You may be surprised, but the Japanese also borrowed some English words, such as bed and door, but they are pronounced not at all in English - [beh-doh] and [doh-ah]. More similar examples: the Japanese have supermarket suu-paa, department store = de-pa-a-to, word processor = wa-a-pu-ro. Another word is "Pokemon", a popular children's game, transformed into po-ke-to-mon-su-ta. And finally, an easy English phrase for Japanese people: bye-bye!

and tabaccomunication (たばこミュニケーション)

These words are synonyms. Nomunication is derived from the Japanese word nomu (drink) and the English word communication. Literally it translates as “socializing while drinking” (including alcohol). Tobaccocommunication comes from the words “tobacco” and “communication” and means “communication while smoking.”

Both concepts are widespread in Japan. Often there is a discussion of business issues over drinks with colleagues after work or communication during a smoke break. Although these skills can sometimes be effective and useful for business, they are not recommended by doctors as they have a negative impact on health. It seems that young people in Japan are starting to abstain from it.

Basic phrases in Japanese

These are the standard, most commonly used expressions in Japanese with translation and pronunciation. Take note!

The phrases above are etiquette , therefore they are irreplaceable in almost any situation. Try to learn them by heart.

Mikka Bōzu (三日坊主)

This expression literally means “three-day monk” and refers to those people who give up or quit something they started very quickly. At first everything starts with great enthusiasm, and then everything ends unexpectedly. The life of Buddhist monks is difficult. They have to get up very early, do the cleaning, and endure hard training. For these reasons, many cannot stand such a life and leave the monastery.

Arigatameiwaku (ありがた迷惑)

Arigatameivaku is a combination of the words "arigatai" and "meiwaku", which mean "grateful" and "unpleasant". The word describes a specific situation in which a person goes out of his way to do something for you that you do not want. This “service” often leads to problems, but according to social norms, you still have to thank such a person.

In Russian, an analogue can be the expression “disservice”. Unfortunately, there are people who do not pay attention to the true desires or intentions of those who are forced to accept the favor through gritted teeth and reluctantly express gratitude.

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Russian-Japanese and Japanese-Russian dictionaries

Naturally, you can learn words not only through collections and articles; another good idea is to look for them in dictionaries yourself! If suddenly you need to say something, but you don’t know it, they will become a lifesaver - they will tell you how certain Russian words sound in Japanese. Here is a list of the three most popular Russian-Japanese online translators where you can search for words with translation and transcription:

Jardic is the largest dictionary of these, and is a consolidated database of several online translators. Here you can find words in Japanese with translation not only into Russian, but also into English.

Warodai is an electronic version of the Great Japanese-Russian Dictionary. In addition to the words themselves in Japanese with pronunciation and translation, the site also contains examples of their use, various set expressions and proverbs and sayings.

Yarxi is first and foremost a dictionary of hieroglyphs, and secondarily an online translator of Japanese words, which also displays them along with their pronunciation. It is very convenient for those who want to learn another sign and find an example of its use for better memorization.

In fact, all the words above were quite simple . It won't be surprising if you remember them almost immediately, because they are directly related to everyday life. However, when you encounter more complex vocabulary, such as those that refer to phenomena or abstract concepts, it will become more difficult to learn. Enter words into a special dictionary , make thematic lists and don’t be lazy to write down Japanese words not only with a translation into Russian, but also with a transcription at least in Russian (or better yet, in hiragana so that it is remembered faster). This will make it easier for you to spot the expression that has slipped out of your head. Good luck in learning the language!

Beautiful Japanese words with translation into Russian can be found in this article. Also here are the most common words and expressions of the Japanese language with translation.