Some Beautiful Japanese Words and Their Meanings

Every language is unique and special for its natives, yet some languages are more interesting and attract more people. Japanese is one of them.

Do you know?

Japanese is one of the fastest spoken languages and the ninth most commonly spoken language in the entire world! 

Aesthetics, social values and culture all are deeply rooted in the Japanese language. Indeed, it is one of the most unique and beautiful languages in the world.

Some Beautiful Japanese Words And Their Meanings

But what exactly makes a language beautiful?

Words… Words have power. After all, it’s always said,

Words are free. It’s how you use them that may cost you.

 

So, come on, let’s learn more about some beautiful Japanese words and their meanings.

1. 木漏れ日- Komorebi

Translation- Sunlight filtering through the trees. 

This word has a beautiful poetic meaning. 木 stands for the tree, 漏れ/もれ means leakage and the 日 kanji stands for the sun. It is also translated as ” Sunlight that filters through the trees or filters through the leaves of a tree”. Beautiful, isn’t it?

2. 幽玄– Yuugen

Translation- Awareness of the universe.

Its actual meaning is “subtle grace” or “mysterious profundity.” The word has several meanings depending on the context. But most of the time, it refers to a profound awareness of the nature of the universe – the oneness of all things – to the point where it affects you emotionally.

3. 侘寂 -Wabi-Sabi

Wabi and Sabi are two different Japanese words but they are being used together since the 14th Century. Wabi describing the more positive aspects of living alone in nature: a quiet, rustic simplicity while Sabi can be referred to as finding beauty in old age. It is explained in a way of living that focuses on finding beauty within the imperfections of life and accepting the cycle.

A combination of two words with overlapping definitions, wabi-sabi might be the Buddhist view of the facts of existence: Both life and art are beautiful not because they are perfect and eternal, but because they are imperfect and ephemeral.

Read more About Wabi-Sabi

4. 改善 – Kaizen 

Translation- Continuous improvement.

This is something important for almost everyone, right? 改善 or Kaizen’s literal meaning is ” change for better”. It could be a one-time improvement or continuous, it’s not intended or implied. Although it’s being used by the Japanese business to describe the process of “always improving”.

5. 生き甲斐 – Ikigai

Translation- Reason for being.

Japanese believe everyone has an Ikigai (the reason for being). It is something, which makes your life worthwhile. In simple words, it can be described as the purpose of life. Besides, it also refers to finding happiness & joy in tiny things and little achievements in life.

Japanese is a beautiful language indeed. 

This language is full of unique words and their meanings have a way of describing everything impressively.

While some people might consider it a difficult language, yet there is always fun in doing or learning difficult things. After all, simple is boring.  

We hope this article helped you with some new words. Add these words in your vocabulary. Garnish your sentences with these beautiful Japanese words.

Let us know about your favourite word in the comment box.

Sayonara 🙂

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