カテゴリー: Untranslatable Japanese Words

ポケット

POKETTO

pocket

ナイフ

NAIFU

knife

間

MA

ma; pause; interval; the meaningful space or silence between things

序破急

JO-HA-KYU

jo-ha-kyu; a three-part structural principle of introduction-development-acceleration used in Japanese performing arts

ひょうげ

HYOUGE

hyouge; playful wit blended with aesthetic sensibility; artful humor and cultivated taste

ギター

GITAA

guitar

振り

FURI

furi; gesture; pretense; the act of pretending or performing something; choreographed movement

エレベーター

EREBEETAA

elevator; lift

バター

BATAA

butter

アパート

APAATO

apartment building; apartment (typically low-rise, wooden construction)

黄泉

YOMI

the underworld / the land of the dead / Yomi (Shinto afterlife realm)

九十九

TSUKUMO

objects that have gained a spirit after 99 years / tsukumogami

テスト

TESUTO

test / exam / to test

スポーツ

SUPOOTSU

sport / sports

シャツ

SHATSU

shirt

レストラン

RESUTORAN

restaurant (especially Western-style)

ラジオ

RAJIO

radio

ネクタイ

NEKUTAI

necktie / tie

ベッド

BEDDO

bed

物の哀れ

MONO NO AWARE

the pathos of things / bittersweet awareness of impermanence

俳句

HAIKU

haiku / three-line poem

盆栽

BONSAI

bonsai / miniature tree art

東京

TOKYO

Tokyo / capital / megalopolis

禅

ZEN

zen / Buddhist meditation sect

折り紙

ORIGAMI

origami / paper folding art

桜

SAKURA

sakura / cherry blossom / cherry tree

生き甲斐

IKIGAI

reason for being; the source of motivation that makes life feel worth living

侘び寂び

WABI-SABI

the beauty of imperfection, impermanence, and incompleteness