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Point of interest: Uniquely Japanese words and concepts

POI
Uniquely Japanese words and concepts
171 words
Japanese contains a number of unique concepts which don't have direct parallels in English. We recently read '7 brilliant Japanese words we need in English' by Matthew Davis, published in Big Think, which is a fun read. It introduces a number of these concepts, several of which are common in daily usage in Japan. All of them are fascinating, and would make great conversation starters!
To help you study the terms in Japanese, we've gathered references to the words on Kanshudo, along with example sentences. Try to use one of them in your next Japanese conversation!
 

Ikigai - reason for living

0 3
noun
something one lives for; purpose in life; raison d'être
(click the word to view an additional 3 forms, examples and links)
わたし
たち
なに
きがい
たなければならない

We must have something to live for.
 

Karōshi - death from overwork

2
karoshi; death from overwork
(click the word for examples and links)
てんぽう
転封
かちゅう
家中
ないふん
内紛
すり
らした
すえ
かろうし
過労死
であろう
He supposedly died from overwork, ground down by relocation and family troubles.
 

Shinrinyoku - forest therapy

3
noun
peaceful walk through the woods; being immersed in a forest; forest therapy
(click the word for examples and links)
そうどうせなら
さんぽ
散歩
がてら
りんどう
林道
って
プチ
しんりんよく
森林浴
でも・・・
I know, as we're going for a walk, we could take the forest path and do a little forest therapy ...
 

Shikata ga nai - it can't be helped

0
expression, 'i' adjective
it can't be helped; it's inevitable; it's no use; can't stand it; being impatient; being annoyed  (see also: 仕方のない)
(click the word to view an additional 2 forms, examples and links)
じぶん
自分
やったことから
しかた
仕方
がない

You brought it on yourself.
 

Tsundoku - book stockpiling

0
1. buying books and not reading them; stockpiling books
noun
2. books bought but not read
(click the word to view an additional 2 forms, examples and links)
あれ
よく
ほん
どく

He often buys books but just leaves them unread.
 

Irusu - pretending to be out

0
noun
pretending to be out
(click the word for examples and links)
もし
でんわ
電話
かかってきたら
いるす
居留守
つか
使
っておいて

I'm not here if anybody calls.
 

Ageotori - the disappointment of a bad haircut!

noun
the disappointment that comes from a haircut that makes your hair look worse
(click the word for examples and links)
おと
いう
かみ
しっぱい
失敗
して
きぶん
気分
こと
'Ageotori' refers to the disappointment you feel when a haircut fails.
 

 
You can also view all the words together in the Analyzer.

Kanji used in this point of interest

シ   わたくし    わたし I, myself   
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カ   なに    なん what?   
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セイ   ショウ    life   なま raw   いかす to enliven   いきる to live   いける to arrange flowers   うまれる to be born   う to give birth to   き pure, undiluted   お to grow, to sprout   はえる to grow, to sprout   はやす to grow, cultivate   
ジ   も to hold, to have   
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テン   ころがる to roll (intr.)   ころがす to roll (tr.)   ころげる to roll about   ころ to fall over   
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フウ   ホウ    seal   
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カ   ケ   house   いえ    や    
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チュウ   ジュウ   なか middle   
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ナイ   ダイ   うち inside   
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フン   confused   まぎれる to be confused   まぎらわす to make confusing   まぎらわしい ambiguous, confusing   まぎらす to divert, distract   
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シン   み body, person   
ゲン   へ become less   へらす reduce   
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マツ   バツ   すえ end   
カ   あやま mistake   あやま to slip up   すぎる to overdo, be more than   すごす to pass, spend   
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ロウ    labor   
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シ   death   し die   
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サン   ちらす to scatter, to distribute   ちらかす to scatter around   ちらかる to be in disorder   ち to fall (leaves etc)   
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ホ   フ   ブ   ある    あゆ to walk   
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リン   wood; trees   はやし wood   
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ドウ   トウ   みち road   
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コウ   ギョウ   アン   ゆ    い to go   おこな to take place   
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シン   もり forest   
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ヨク   あびる to shower, to bask in   あびせる to pour on   
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ジ   シ   みずか self   
ブン   ブ   フン   わける to divide, to distinguish   わかる to understand   わかれる to be divided   わかつ to share, distribute   
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シ   ジ   つかえる to attend to   
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ホウ   かた way, direction   
ヒ   かれ he   
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ホン   book   もと origin   
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バイ   か to buy   
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セキ   つ to load, to heap up   つもる to be piled up   
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ドク   トク   トウ   よ to read   
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デン    electricity   
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ワ   はな to talk   はなし talking   
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キョ   い to exist, to be present   
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ル   リュウ   とめる to detain   とまる to stop   
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シュ   ス   まも to protect, guard   もり babysitting   
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使
シ   つか to use   
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ジョウ   ショウ   うえ above   うわ- above   あげる to raise   あがる to rise   かみ first half, upper part   のぼ to climb   のぼせる to bring up, to raise   のぼ to bring up   
レツ   inferior   おと to be inferior to   
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ハツ   かみ hair (of the head)   
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セツ   サイ   き to cut   きれる to break, to snap   
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シツ   うしな to lose   
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ハイ   defeated   やぶれる to be defeated, frustrated   
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キ   ケ    spirit   
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ラク   おちる to fall   おとす to drop (something)   
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crowded   こ to be crowded   こめる to load; to include   
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