The Japanese language is unique full of words that do not exist in English or other languages. In this article, we're going to share some weird words you didn't know and their meanings.
Table of Contents
Irusu – 居留守 – Pretending not to be home
Did you know that the Japanese language has a word of its own for those who pretend not to be at home? This word is called Irusu [居留守] where [居] means to reside, to exist [留] means to leave, stop and [守] means to protect or defend.
One might use the word Irusu in situations like:
If a phone call comes in, pretend you’re not home.
When a call comes in, just ignore it.
If anyone calls, I'm not here.
Fuubutsushi – 風物詩 – Special Season
Similar to natsukashi [懐かしい], fuubutsushi [風物詩] also expresses a kind of nostalgia for a special time. The word fuubutsushi is composed of the ideograms [風物詩] which mean wind, things, and poetry.
This word is used for things that a special time, and it can also mean a poem about a certain time or a natural landscape. There is also the word fuubutsushi [風物誌] spelled differently which means prose about a certain area, setting or seasonal season.
It is also worth mentioning the word the pathos of things[物の哀れ] which indicates a kind of nostalgia and sensitivity towards nature.
Kawaakari – 川明かり – the glow of the river
The word kawaakari [川明かり] refers to the glow of a river or stream in darkness or twilight, the glistening surface of a shadowed river. Also the reflection of moonlight on streams of water, or the glow of sunlight at dusk.
Ichariba chode – 行逢りば兄弟 – Friends Forever
The Japanese word ichariba chobe [行逢りば兄弟] means "even though we have only met once, even by chance, we are friends for life."
The kanji [行逢] derive from the expression [行き会う] which means to find by chance. On the other hand, [兄弟] refers to siblings, but it can only refer to friends or considerate siblings.
Kogarashi – 木枯らし – WINTER WIND
Kogarashi refers to the fulminating wind that comes at the beginning of winter, the one responsible for blowing away the leaves of the trees left over from autumn.
The word kogarashi [木枯らし] is composed of the ideograms [木] which mean tree and [枯] which means to dry, to die.
Other words that only exist in the Japanese language
We have already written other articles with single words that only exist in the Japanese language. Finally, I will leave a list of articles that talk about these words:
