psychology
10 Ingenious Words From Japan We Always Missed
© violetblue / Shutterstock
Do you miss words sometimes? Ideas? Perhaps these terms can help from Japan now in one situation or another.
Learning a foreign language is a bit like seeing the world from a different perspective. It broadens our outlook and horizons, and makes it clear to us that it is not normal to arrange things and relate to each other like we do. For example, in many Polynesian languages such as Samoan, Hawaiian or Maori, which is the language of the indigenous culture of New Zealand, directions are given primarily as “inland” and “toward the sea.” Not, as we know it, with “the North” and “the South”. Family relations are sometimes expressed differently and are treated in a more differential way in these languages compared to, for example, in German, such as property relations and other allocation relationships. The Polynesian is one of the many language families that exist in our world. But since we are mostly learning very similar languages to German, for example English, French or Spanish, we usually don’t get much interesting views there.
Nonetheless, psychologist David Tripolina allows us to think outside the box with his wonderful book “Panda is called bambusbjorn in Icelandic language. The most beautiful words in the world” (Yes). The author has compiled terms for concepts from different languages that we may be familiar with and certainly understand – but we cannot name them easily. The Japanese in particular have a few words that make you wonder: Why don’t we have a single word in German? Oh, okay. Let’s just say: So we can borrow it from the Japanese.
10 Ingenious Words From Japan We Always Missed
1. Wabi Sabi
The solution for all perfectionists is called “Wabi Sabi”: “The aesthetic concept of finding beauty in life’s imperfections”.
2. Age otori
Have you ever come home from cutting your hair and thought, “Oh no!”? For the Japanese: Inside a clear case of “Age-otori”: “You look worse after a haircut than before.”
3. Buketto
A dreamy appearance without concrete ideas – this is what the Japanese call: inside “Buketto”.
4. Idsucci
Trapped in a boring conversation again? Then there is one thing that helps, so as not to seem rude: “Aidzuchi”, that is, make a noise you make: the interlocutor thinks that you are following the conversation intently.
5. Eugene
Yugen describes something everyone should know: “A deep and mysterious understanding of the beauty of the universe that evokes a deep emotional response within you.” Who actually feels it …?
6. Ishin Danshen
When two people understand each other without words, it is called “Ishin-Denshin” in Japan. Originally this meant that the wisdom of the Buddha was transmitted through the heart. The term metaphorically expresses that a person can read another person’s heart.
7. Koi no yokan
Anyone who meets someone for the first time and thinks, “Yes, it can fit us” feels “Koi no yokan” – a positive and optimistic feeling from the first impression.
8. Kenshaw
Have you ever had a surprising inspiration, but it didn’t last long? A: Japanese: in “Kensho” might say: “A fleeting moment of awakening and enlightenment.”
9. Natsukashi
Specific smell, taste, melody – “When little things evoking flashbacks evoke a sudden, warm feeling of nostalgia,” it’s called “Natsukashi” in Japanese.
10. Tsundoku
Those who love to shop but don’t really like reading may have already practiced “tsundoku”: they bought a book and put it unread along with other unread books at home.
Source used: David Tripolina, “Panda is called Bambusbjörn in Icelandic language. The most beautiful words in the world” (YES)
More Stories
Exploding Fireball: Find the meteorite fragments
Neuralink's competitor lets blind people see again with an implant
A huge meteorite has hit Earth – four times the size of Mount Everest