10 Fascinating Japanese Words | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

10 Fascinating Japanese Words

Get yourself ready for that trip to Tokyo.

170
10 Fascinating Japanese Words
Ytimg

Previously, we dipped our toes into one of the romance languages by identifying 10 Italian words that do not have equivalents in the English language. Yet, both of these languages have similar roots and makes it rather easy to comprehend. In fact, most European languages are rather easy to learn if you speak English it is built off of other European languages. Now we are going to take an adventure towards a more difficult language which has its foundation in Asia.

As the ninth most commonly spoken language, Japanese is composed of consisting of two sets of phonetic syllabaries and characters. Because characters are rather difficult to read for any beginner and you would not learn how to say the word, below you will find the words written using letters. Here are 10 Japanese words that will give you a new appreciation for the language and perhaps impress some of your friends.

1. Komorebi:

sunlight filtering through trees

2. Yugen:

profound awareness of the universe that triggers a deep emotional response

3. Shibui:

old school cool

4. Ukiyo:

detached from the bothers of life

5: Tsundoku:

the act of buying a book and leaving it unread, often piled together with other unread books

6. Ikigai:

the thing that gets you up in the morning

7. Kuidaore:

to eat yourself into bankruptcy

8. Wasuremono:

forgotten or lost things

9. Hikikomori:

person obsessed with TV, video games, and the internet; withdraws from society

10. Shouganai:

something cannot be helped

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
eye roll

Working with the public can be a job, in and of itself. Some people are just plain rude for no reason. But regardless of how your day is going, always having to be in the best of moods, or at least act like it... right?

1. When a customer wants to return a product, hands you the receipt, where is printed "ALL SALES ARE FINAL" in all caps.

2. Just because you might be having a bad day, and you're in a crappy mood, doesn't make it okay for you to yell at me or be rude to me. I'm a person with feelings, just like you.

3. People refusing to be put on hold when a customer is standing right in front of you. Oh, how I wish I could just hang up on you!

Keep Reading...Show less
blair waldorf
Hercampus.com

RBF, or resting b*tch face, is a serious condition that many people suffer from worldwide. Suffers are often bombarded with daily questions such as "Are you OK?" and "Why are you so mad?" If you have RBF, you've probably had numerous people tell you to "just smile!"

While this question trend can get annoying, there are a couple of pros to having RBF.

Keep Reading...Show less
legally blonde
Yify

Another day, another Elle Woods comment. Can’t us blondes get through the day without someone harping at us over the typical stereotypes about who we are? I never understood why a person was judged based upon the hair color they were born with, or the hair color they choose to have (unless you dye your hair blue like Kylie Jenner, I’m still trying to understand why that’s a trend). Nevertheless, as it should be assumed, not everyone is the same. Not all blondes like bright colors and Lilly Pulitzer, and not all blondes claim to identify with Marilyn Monroe. I think the best suggestion to give to people before they make such radical claims is to stop judging a book by its cover. Or in this case, stop judging a blonde by her hair color.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

A Year At JMU As Told By 'Bob's Burgers'

The world's greatest university meets the world's greatest show.

1494
Bob's Burgers
collegian.com

A year at JMU promises many great adventures. The journey of becoming a duke and learning what being a duke is all about is really exciting and a lot of fun. Of course, we all know that James Madison University is the greatest university in Virginia (perhaps even the entire country). There are many events and moments at JMU that are cherished and remembered by all dukes.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

15 Things That Happen On Your Birthday

Do you have a small get-together or throw a big bash?

5279
birthday party

My birthday has never been my favorite holiday. I've found that I'm more excited to celebrate my friends' and family members' birthdays more than my own. I don't like being the center of attention, so I usually celebrate over dinner with a small group of family and friends. This way, I can enjoy myself naturally without feeling like I have to entertain everyone and make sure they are satisfied. In the past when I've had large parties, I was so nervous that people weren't perfectly content that I didn't enjoy myself at my own celebration.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments