Today’s Giongo

Today’s Giongo
– 擬音語 – onomatopoeia;
you can imagine and perceive the state through the five senses using the expression

Today I introduce a Giongo about food.

ねばねば/
ネバネバ ->this Katakana type is often used in animations or manga
[neba-neba]

meaning:
sticky

implications:
Can you imagine and sense how the sound is like for the thing?
※ it’s different from “slimy,” which we say nuru-nuru(next time I introduce it).

practical usage:
– mostly used for sticky food such as our Natto

納豆はネバネバします。しかし、とても健康的な食べ物です。
[Natto wa nebaneba shimasu. Shikashi totemo kenkoutekina tabemono desu.]
= Natto is sticky. But it is very healthy food.

****similar Giongo
ねとねと[neto-neto]

Today’s Gitaigo

Today’s Gitaigo
– 擬態語 – mimetic word;
expressions about a situation/ condition of things or gesture/ motion of people or any other creatures

Today I introduce this Gitaigo, because the other day one of our readers asked me whether it was still used now in Japan and asked about how to use it. Yes, it is still used.

ぼうっと/
ぼーっと ->this is a kind of evolved writing style, often used in animations or manga
[bootto]

meaning:
in an absent-minded way
with an absent air

implications:
-you can’t focus on/ pay attention to anything, just thinking yourself or not thinking anything
-dazed with a shock or surprise or fatigue
※ it depends on the situation.

practical usage:
– always used for people’s attitude or situation/ condition
彼はしばらくぼっとしていた。
[karewa shibaraku bootto-shiteita]
= He was absent-minded for a while.

****similar Gitaigo
ぼんやり(と)[bonyari(to)] -> ※ you can either add “と”[to] or omit it.
ぼけっと[boketto] -> you cannot omit “と”[to]. – the pronunciation is different from “to” of English.

Let’s enjoy Kanji world!

Let’s enjoy Kanji world!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++>>

Today’s group is “water”!
The 部首[bushu](radical) “氵” is called “さんずい[sanzui].”

1 = 汁　= しる[shiru] / ｼﾞｭｳ[jyu]
2 = 江 = え[e] / コウ[kou]
3 = 河 = かわ[kawa]　/　カ[ka] / ガ[ga]

+++Structure++++++++++++++++>>
氵 = water, stream of water
Doesn’t it look like the stream of water?
There are many kanji connected with the stream of water.

みそ汁(or 味噌汁)[miso-shiru] = miso soup
入江 [iri-e] = 入り (-> enter) + 氵+ _ ==> bay, cove, harbor
河川 [ka-sen] = 氵 + _ ==> river
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++>>
Let’s look practical words of the same group into your dictionary!

海[umi] – sea
池[ike] – pond
湖[mizuumi]/or [name of the lake]+[ko] – lake
沼[numa] – bog, swamp
沖[oki] – offing
波[nami] – wave
泳ぐ[oyogu](verb) – swim
水泳[sui-ei] – swiming
泣く[naku](verb) – tear
涙 [namida] – tears

our mascot

Recently our mascot black Labrador Retriever, Sarah has gone to the heaven after she finished her long life at my family’s house in Tokyo. She was 17 years and 5 month old..(her birthday was December 30th.) She was always taken good care by my parents especially, and has been fully loved by not only my family and everyone. She was always gentle, pure, smart, and lovely..Her favorite foods were fruits such as Japanese apples(sour and sweet), vegetables such as fresh Japanese cabbage, Japanese (white radish) Daikon and moreover, she loved any kind of Japanese foods such as Japanese rice and meat with vegetables and Japanese taste such as soy sauce and miso taste my mother cooked for her specially in her final years, because she could understand how healthy and tasty they were. By being surrounded with so much love, she could live for such a long and happy life. Thank you so much for your supporting us always.
We will continue to promote any Japanese language and culture with such a beloved mascot for years, and hope the world peace.

Satsuki and dokudami

The photos of Japanese Azalea (Satsuki in Japanese) and Dokudami (Chameleon plant, a herb) at my family’s spot garden were taken by my father the other day. The contrast between the red pink and white color is pretty!

Satsuki means May (of the month). The reason why the flower was named as “Satsuki” is because it blooms after the end of May and it is called Satsuki(皐月 – from the end of May to the beginning of July) in the old calendar. Dokudami is a herb which helps to suppress any toxin, and grows mostly in East Asia such as Japan. Doku(毒) means poison or toxin in Japanese, -Dami(矯み) comes from 矯む(remedy) in Japanese. The leaves of Dokudami are used for Dokudami-cha (ドクダミ茶 – one kind of herb tea) in Japan.

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Today’s Haiku

Today’s Haiku – a short form of Japanese poetry which consists of three phrases of 5, 7 and 5

紫陽花の花に日を経る湯治かな
Ajisaino, Hanani Hiwoheru, Toujikana

Haiku poet: 高浜虚子 Takahama Kyoshi (1874-1959) – a Japanese poet active during Meiji and Showa period of Japan

key words:
紫陽花(ajisai) : hydrangea
花(hana) : flower
日(hi) : day(s)
経る(heru) : pass through, go through
湯治(touji) : hot spring cure

implications:
Ajisai flower is a symbol of the rainy season during June to mid-July in Japan.
Touji is curing by a hot spring. Hiwo heru implies that such a long time has passed.
While Takahama Kyoshi was cured by a hot spring, he created this haiku.
So, while he was cured by a hot spring, some days have already passed and
the hydrangea changed the color.

季語[Kigo]-a word or phrase associated with a particular season,
used in Japanese Haiku
紫陽花(ajisai) = a word for summer

usage:
Let’s imagine a relaxed sense of time that the hydrangea gradually changes the color while you are taking the hot spring spa.

By the way, do you know the hydrangea is a native of Japan?
Lacecap hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla f. normalis) was originally born in Japan.
Later, it brought various kinds of Western hydrangea.
Did you feel such a graceful time through this Haiku? (^^)/
-This is the original Japanese hydrangea in my family’s garden.