Words that only exist in the Japanese language

The Japanese language is unique full of words that do not exist in English or other languages. In this article, we're going to share some weird words you didn't know and their meanings.

Irusu – 居留守 – Pretending not to be home

Did you know that the Japanese language has a word of its own for those who pretend not to be at home? This word is called Irusu [居留守] where [居] means to reside, to exist [留] means to leave, stop and [守] means to protect or defend.

One might use the word Irusu in situations like:

もし電話がかかってきたら、居留守を使っておいて。
When a call comes in, just ignore it.
If anyone calls, I'm not here.
Words that only exist in the Japanese language

Fuubutsushi – 風物詩 – Special Season

Similar to natsukashi [懐かしい], fuubutsushi [風物詩] also expresses a kind of nostalgia for a special time. The word fuubutsushi is composed of the characters [風物詩] that mean wind, things and poetry.

This word is used for things that remember a special time, and it can also mean a poem about a certain time or a natural landscape. There is also the word fuubutsushi [風物誌] spelled differently which means prose about a certain area, setting or seasonal season.

It is also worth mentioning the word mono not aware[物の哀れ] which indicates a kind of nostalgia and sensitivity towards nature. 

Kawaakari – 川明かり – the glow of the river

The word kawaakari [川明かり] refers to the glow of a river or stream in darkness or twilight, the glistening surface of a shadowed river. Also the reflection of moonlight on streams of water, or the glow of sunlight at dusk.

Words that only exist in the Japanese language

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Ichariba chode – 行逢りば兄弟 – Friends Forever

The Japanese word ichariba chobe [行逢りば兄弟] means “although we met only once, even by chance, we are friends forever”.

The kanji [行逢] derive from the expression [行き会う] which means to find by chance. On the other hand, [兄弟] refers to siblings, but it can only refer to friends or considerate siblings.

Kogarashi – 木枯らし – WINTER WIND

Kogarashi refers to the fulminating wind that comes at the beginning of winter, the one responsible for blowing away the leaves of the trees left over from autumn.

The word kogarashi [木枯らし] is composed of the characters [木] which means tree and [枯] which means to dry, to die.

Other words that only exist in the Japanese language

We have already written other articles with single words that only exist in the Japanese language. Finally, I will leave a list of articles that talk about these words:

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