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2023

【No. 2262】Senrihin (戦利品 - Spoils of Battle)

Dec 31, 2023 15:13
Senrihin

At the end of this year, I went to a huge crane game specialty store and acquired various senrihin (戦利品).

The characters sen (戦), ri (利), and hin (品) mean "battle," "profit," and "goods," respectively, so the literal meaning of senrihin is "battle profit goods."

Originally, this term referred to items obtained from the enemy as a result of victory in war or battle.

Recently, it has come to mean simply "items obtained through effort" and is used in various situations.

Incidentally, my senrihin are various popular character goods, such as Kirby, Chiikawa, and Opanchu Usagi.
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【No. 2261】Ryū Ryū Shinku (粒粒辛苦 - Toil and Moil)

Dec 30, 2023 23:05
Ryū Ryū Shinku

The four-character idiom ryū ryū shinku (粒粒辛苦) is sometimes used to describe the accumulation of small efforts.

Ryū (粒) means a single grain of rice, shin (辛) means "hardship," and ku (苦) means "suffering." Therefore, the literal meaning of ryū ryū shinku is "each and every grain represents hardship and suffering."

In other words, it implies that each grain is the fruit of the farmers's labor and hardship.

This idiom originated from a poem written by the Chinese poet Li Shen.

In his poem, it is said that no one knows that each grain of rice is made of farmers' hardship and suffering.
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【No. 2260】I no Ichiban (いの一番 - The Very First)

Dec 29, 2023 19:17
I no Ichiban

The Japanese phrase i no ichiban (いの一番) is sometimes used to describe that something is first in time or order, or that one is the first to do something.

I (い) is the first character in the iroha uta (いろは歌 - "Iroha Song"), a traditional Japanese song used for learning kana characters.

In addition, ichiban (一番) means "first," so i no ichiban is an expression that emphasizes being the first.

There is another theory that i no ichiban comes from an architectural term.

During house construction, vertical pillars and horizontal pillars are labeled i, ro, ha (い、ろ、は） and ichi, ni, san (一、二、三), respectively.

The first pillar to be erected is called i no ichi (いのいち), which is said to be the origin of i no ichiban.

【No. 2259】Nōkin (脳筋 - Meathead)

Dec 28, 2023 20:12
Nōkin

I sometimes become a state called nōkin (脳筋) while playing various games.

Nōkin is an Internet slang term that is short for the expression nōmiso made kinniku (脳みそまで筋肉).

Since nōmiso (脳みそ) means "brain," made (まで) means "even," and kinniku (筋肉) means "muscle," the literal meaning of nōkin means "even the brain is muscle."

In other words, nōkin refers to a personality that acts without thinking or a game-playing style that relies on brute force.

When playing games while tired, you will easily become nōkin state.
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【No. 2258】Egosa (エゴサ - Egosurfing)

Dec 27, 2023 21:53
Egosa

Have you ever done egosa (エゴサ) on the Internet?

Egosa is short for egosāchi (エゴサーチ), which refers to the act of searching the Internet or social networking sites for information about yourself or your company's reputation.

Since ego (エゴ) means "ego," and sāchi (サーチ) means "search," the literal meaning of egosa is exactly "egosearching."

In English, it can also be described as "egosurfing" or "vanity searching."

It is said that companies and celebrities often do egosa. However, recently, more and more young people are doing egosa as well.

【No. 2256】Heijō Unten (平常運転 - As Usual)

Dec 26, 2023 15:59
Heijō Unten

Today is Christmas, but I have no special plans besides work; in other words, it is heijō unten (平常運転).

Since heijō (平常) means "normal," and unten (運転) means "operation," the literal meaning of heijō unten (平常運転) is "normal operation."

Originally, the term heijō unten was used to describe that public transportation like buses or trains would operate on schedule without trouble.

Later, young people began to use it to describe people's routines, meaning "as usual."

Sometimes, heijō is replaced with tsūjō (通常 - meaning "usual') to say tsūji unten (通常運転), which means the same as heijō unten.

【No. 2257】Bōtto Suru (ぼーっとする - "Spacing Out")

Dec 26, 2023 17:07
Bōtto Suru

Recently, I have been finding myself in a state referred to as bōtto suru (ぼーっとする) a lot.

The expression bōtto suru describes a state of being in a daze, or being lost in thought.

It is believed that the bō (ぼー) in bōtto suru comes from the terms bonyari (ぼんやり - "absent-minded") or bōzen (呆然 - "dumbfounded"), and it is used like an onomatopoeia by adding a long sound.

In addition, suru (する) means "to do" or "to become," the literal meaning of bōtto suru is "to become absent-minded."

I have to be careful not to become the state of bō while driving to work every day.

【No. 2255】Nengajō (年賀状 - New Year's Greeting Card): Part 2

Dec 24, 2023 17:07
Nengajō: Part 2

On the nengajō (年賀状 - "New Year's greeting card"), the zodiac animal of the year is often included with a New Year's greeting.

Every year, I try to draw the zodiac animal on my nengajō, using my favorite mathematical formulas and programming.

Since 2024 is tatsu-doshi (辰年 - "year of the dragon"), I was considering drawing a fractal figure, the dragon curve.

However, it looked too plain, so I decided to draw a dragon-like picture based on a unique three-dimensional fractal.

It took much time to adjust the parameters, but I managed to finish nengajō.

I will post the three-dimensional fractal dragon on January 1.

【No. 2254】Nengajō (年賀状 - New Year's Greeting Card): Part 1

Dec 23, 2023 23:58
Nengajō: Part 1

Today, I wrote nengajō (年賀状).

Nengajō is a traditional Japanese greeting card for celebrating the New Year.

Nen (年) means "year," ga (賀) means "celebration," and jō (状) means "card," so the literal meaning of nengajō is "year celebration card."

The custom of exchanging nengajō originated from the traditional visits for New Year's greetings.

In the past, many Japanese people used to visit their relatives and those to whom they were indebted at the beginning of the year to give greetings.

However, as times have changed, more and more people have found it difficult to give greetings in person, and they started sending nengajō as an alternative to New Year's greetings.
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【No. 2253】Uō Saō (右往左往 - Helter-Skelter)

Dec 22, 2023 13:13
Uō Saō

The four-character idiom uō saō (右往左往) describes a situation where someone is confused and wanders around.

U (右) means "right," ō (往) means "go," sa (左) means "left," so the literal meaning of uō saō is "going right and going left."

In this idiom, the act of going to the right and left repeatedly represents a state of confusion or disorder.

As a synonym for uō saō, there is atafuta (あたふた), which means a state of being in a panic and rushing around.
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【No. 2252】Ginsekai (銀世界 - Snowy World)

Dec 21, 2023 23:52
Ginsekai

A landscape where snow has fallen and everything is covered in white can described as ginsekai (銀世界) in Japanese.

Since gin (銀) means "silver," and sekai (世界) means "world," the literal meaning of ginsekai is "silver world."

In the past, the kanji 銀 was also read as shirogane (しろがね), and written as 白金 or 白銀.

Here, siro (白) means "white," and gane/kane (がね/かね) means "metal." In other words, ginsekai means a landscape that looks like a shining white metal.

Incidentally, 白金 is nowadays read as read as hakkin (はっきん) or purachina (プラチナ), meaning "platinum.'
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【No. 2251】Tateita ni Mizu (立て板に水 - Speaking Fluently)

Dec 20, 2023 16:54
Tateita ni Mizu

When someone speaks fluently and smoothly without hesitation, you can describe the situation as tateita ni mizu (立て板に水) in Japanese.

Since 'tate'(立て) means "standing," ita (板) means "board," and mizu (水) means "water," the literal meaning of tateita ni mizu is "water on a standing board."

When you pour water on a standing board, it flows down to the ground smoothly.

In other words, the phrase tateita ni mizu compares the flow of water on a standing board to words that come out smoothly and fluently.
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【No. 2250】Owari no Nai no ga Owari (終わりのないのが終わり - Endless Cycle)

Dec 19, 2023 21:50
Owari no Nai no ga Owari

Yesterday, I introduced the phrase owari no hajiamri (終わりの始まり), which literally means "the beginning of the end."

However, sometimes, the end of things may not be seen clearly.

In situations where something seems to continue forever without an end, you can use the phrase owari no nai no ga owari (終わりのないのが終わり).

Since owari (終わり) means "end," and nai (ない) means "no," the literal meaning of owari no nai no ga owari is "the end has no end."

This phrase was used in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure to explain the ability of Giorno Joabana's Stand, Gold Experience Requiem.

It is one of my favorite phrases from JoJo.

【No. 2249】Owari no Hajimari (終わりの始まり - The Beginning of the End)

Dec 18, 2023 16:35
Owari no Hajimari

When I heard the announcement of the closure of Lang-8, the phrase owari no hajimari (終わりの始まり) came to my mind.

Since owari (終わり) means "end," and hajimari (始まり) means "beginning," the literal meaning of owari no hajimari is "the beginning of the end."

This phrase is often used in a negative context, to describe situations where something begins to move toward an end or a hopeless state.

After Lang-8 closes, I will continue to post my essays on X and my website at my own pace.
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【No. 2248】Yokoyari wo Ireru (横槍を入れる - Interrupting)

Dec 17, 2023 17:08
Yokoyari wo Ireru

The Japanese idiom yokoyari wo ireru (横槍を入れる) means to interrupt someone else's conversation or work.

Since yoko (横) means "side," yari (槍) means "spear," and ireru (入れる) means "to insert," the literal meaning of yokoyari wo ireru is "to insert a spear from the side."

Originally, this phrase described a kind of attack on a battlefield; during a battle between two armies, you would launch an attack from the side.

Later, it came to be used in everyday conversation to mean a third party interferes from the side.
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【No. 2247】Ishin Denshin (以心伝心 - Heart-to-Heart Communication)

Dec 16, 2023 10:06
Ishin Denshin

The four-character idiom ishin denshin (以心伝心) describes a situation where you and someone else understand each other's thoughts without using words.

This idiom can be read in kunyomi (Japanese reading) as kokoro wo motte kokoro ni tsutau (心を以て心に伝う).

Kokoro (心) means "mind," motte (以て) means "with," and tsutau/tsutaeru (伝う/伝える) means "to convey." Therefore, the literal meaning of this expression is "to convey from one mind to another with the mind."

Originally, ishin denshin was a Buddhist term, referring to the transmission of Buddhism's profound teachings from a master to the disciple through the mind.
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【No. 2246】Shirazu Shirazu (知らず知らず - Unconsciously)

Dec 15, 2023 17:16
Shirazu Shirazu

The Japanese phrase shirazu shirazu (知らず知らず) is used to describe a situation where you are unaware that you are doing something or being in a certain state.

Since shiru/shira (知る/知ら) means "to know," and zu (ず) is a negative suffix, the literal meaning of shirazu shirazu is "not knowing not knowing."

In other words, this phrase implies that you are doing something without knowing or realizing it.

In many cases, it is used as shirazu shirazu no uchi ni (知らず知らずのうちに), together with no uchi ni (のうちに - meaning "while" or "during").
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【No. 2245】Bokyahin (ボキャ貧 - Limited Vocabulary)

Dec 14, 2023 20:40
Bokyahin

Over the past two days, I introduced slang terms that mean limited vocabulary.

There is another similar slang term, bokyahin (ボキャ貧).

Bokya (ボキャ) is short for bokyaburarī (ボキャブラリー - meaning "bocabulary"), and hin (貧) is short shor hinjaku (貧弱 - meaning "poor"). Therefore, the literal meaning of bokyahin is "poor vocabulary."

It is a very understandable slang term for a limited vocabulary or someone with such a limitation. However, this term is becoming an obsolete word.

We need to study the language daily to avoid becoming bokyahin and using obsolete terms.
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【No. 2244】Konamikan (小並感 - Child-like Opinion)

Dec 13, 2023 16:21
Konamikan

Yesterday, I introduced the internet slang term '(goiryoku)' (語彙力), which means limited vocabulary.

Similarly, there is another slang term, konamikan (小並感).

Konamikan is short for shōgakusei nami no kansō (小学生並みの感想).

Shōgakusei (小学生) means "elementary school student," nami (並み) means "on the level of," and kansō (感想) means "opinions," the literal meaning of konamikan is "opinions on the level of an elementary school student."

This term is used at the end of a sentence to self-deprecate the childishness of one's opinions or limited vocabulary.

For example, it is used like 「すごい（小並感）」, where sugoi (すごい) means "amazing."
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【No. 2243】(Goiryoku) (（語彙力） - (Limited Vocabulary))

Dec 12, 2023 20:52
(Goiryoku)

When lacking vocabulary and writing mundane and boring opinions, recent young people sometimes append '(goiryoku)' at the end of their sentences.

Since goi (語彙) means "vocabulary," and ryoku (力) means "ability," the literal meaning of goiryoku is"vocabulary ability."

By adding '(goiryoku)' in parentheses at the end of a sentence, they excuse their limited vocabulary or self-deprecate the fact that they cannot express their opinions well with rich expressions.

For example, it is used like 「おいしい（語彙力）」, where oishī (おいしい) means "delicious."