Untranslatables

Question 1

仕方たがない

Answer 1

shikata ga nai: 1) it cannot be helped, 2) it is no use, 3) it cannot be borne, one cannot help but…

Question 2

花吹雪

Answer 2

hanafubuki: a flurry (‘storm’) of cherry blossoms

Question 3

侘寂

Answer 3

wabi-sabi: 1) aesthetic borne of the recognition of imperfection and transience

Question 4

つんどく

Answer 4

tsundoku: the act of leaving a book unread after buying it; (v.) to leave piled up

Question 5

懐かしい

Answer 5

natsukashii: dear, beloved, cherished, sweet, etc. Often described as something short of nostalgia (which can be painful), may be a ‘warming of the heart’.

Question 6

ぶりっ子

Answer 6

burikko: falsely cute, puerile (derogatory, women)

Question 7

無礼講

Answer 7

bureikou: (lit. no punishment for rudeness); a time and place during which all members of a group are considered equal, and may speak freely without fear. Sometimes translated to “be yourself”

Question 8

おもてなし

Answer 8

omotenashi: a kind of hospitality that represents a ‘careful thoughtfulness’ towards a guest

Question 9

口寂しい

Answer 9

kuchisabishii: mouth-lonely, i.e. eating or smoking (etc) merely because one wants to

Question 10

紅葉

Answer 10

kouyou: colors of fall, changing into the colors of fall

Question 11

いただきます

Answer 11

itadakimasu: said before eating; nuance expresses gratitude for all those involved in the processing, delivery, and creation of the food being consumed.

Question 12

こがらし

Answer 12

kogarashi: a biting wind blows that shows winter to be near

Question 13

木漏れ日 (こもれび)

Answer 13

komorebi: sunlight streaming through the trees

Question 14

物の哀れ

Answer 14

mono-no-aware: (lit. the pathos of things); shows an appreciation for things that are soon or quickly lost. “a wistful awareness of the impermanence or transience of things”

Question 15

森林浴

Answer 15

shinrinyoku: (lit. forest-bathing), spending time in the forest to reduce stress

Question 16

生き甲斐

Answer 16

ikigai: purpose or reason for living; raison d’être

Question 17

恋の予感

Answer 17

koi no yokan: love at first sight, but dulled down; not quite the head-over-heels idea of American culture

Question 18

川明かり

Answer 18

kawaakari: the gleam of a river at dusk

Question 19

行逢りば兄弟

Answer 19

ichariba chode: “from strangers to brothers and sisters”

Question 20

金継ぎ

Answer 20

kintsugi: the art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer mixed or dusted with powdered gold

Question 21

鏡花水月

Answer 21

kyouka suigetsu: mirror flower, water moon: an idiom from ancient China that intends something visible but untouchable, like a flower reflected in a mirror

Question 22

高嶺の花

Answer 22

takane no hana: that which seems out of reach; “a flower on a high mountain”

Question 23

つきみ

Answer 23

tsukimi: moon viewing; harvest festival around the autumn moon; a type of cuisine with one egg at the center of a dish with the yolk representing the full moon