Majime – The care and composure of the Japanese

There is a Japanese word called Majime [真面目] that shows how the Japanese take rules seriously and are careful when doing things, always without stressing or causing a scene. In this article, we will talk a little about this word and the attitude involved in it.

Majime is commonly written in hiragana and means serious, honest, stable and refers to people who do everything according to the rules, even against their own will, being careful, polite, strict, punctual, and discreet.

Majime is originally written with the ideograms [真] for truth [面] for face, mask and characteristics [目] for eye, experience, care and favor. Thus indicating that it involves maintaining composure despite difficulties or anger.

IT INVOLVES HAVING COMPOSURE AND FOLLOWING RULES

Majime are those people capable of getting things done without causing drama or losing composure. As the ideograms said, even if it means wearing a figurative mask. Punctuality, obeying rules, and not cutting in line are some examples.

Majime is the person who would never take advantage of something, even if it is not harmful. They are proper people who in the West would probably be called boring or uptight, but in Japan, it is something commendable.

Although Majime may seem unpleasant to most, trying to maintain composure can help you have more discipline, willpower, and focus when doing things. Moreover, being Majime will help you live well in Japanese society and not stress over unnecessary things.

How is the word Majime used?

This word is usually used as a compliment, a positive word. Teachers, parents, and senpais often praise the composure and education demonstrated in various situations. The progress of the student or child in life can result in this praise.

There are also situations where Majime is used negatively. In lectures, it can be used with a sarcastic tone; parents often say this to lazy children, so care is needed when using the word in certain situations to avoid calling anyone boring.

There are related words that I would like to mention, such as fumajime [不真面目] which is exactly the opposite and means lack of sincerity, something unstable and frivolous. Where the ideogram [不] means something negative, bad, ugly, and awkward.

There is also a Japanese word that is written using the same ideograms as majime but is pronounced shinmenmoku [真面目] and means your true character, true self, and seriousness. These words are quite similar.

The big problem with Majime

Majime is one of the main reasons Japan is what it is today! A safe country, without worries and with total harmony among groups, all because these people focus on following the rules instead of their own interests.

Unfortunately, Majime is not 100% and can cause problems. Even though the Japanese are famous for their creativity, Majime makes many Japanese people robots who do not think or have their own ideas.

I remember when the signal fell on the train line, it took more than 2 hours to remove a simple signal that didn’t even seem heavy, all because the team out there was waiting for orders to act. No one could take the lead because of Majime.

These people end up being afraid to make decisions, start new things, or create ideas. Even if they have them, they end up suppressing those feelings and are stressed all the time. Some even become criminals, perverts, or commit suicide. It is not right to hide feelings; they can overflow and leak.

Brazilian people are famous for inventing and having ideas that solve problems or make things more practical and easier, but they also lack a bit of order, which results in numerous problems in Brazilian society. That’s why everyone needs to know about Majime, but they don’t need to turn into robots.

I hope this article has helped you understand a little about the concept of Majime. What do you think about this subject? Do you think it is harmful or good? We hope you share this article with more people and leave your comments.

This is something great and necessary in the world, but as always, everything has its pros and cons, not to mention that everything in excess is bad.

Kevin Henrique