Some interesting words that are can’t be expressed in a single word in English. If you’re learning Japanese, you might want to remember these to impress your sensei 😉
Nekojita 猫舌
lit. cat tongue; someone who is sensitive to hot food and drinks
Does anyone know if cats really hate hot things?
Unkai 雲海
sea of clouds
A popular activity in various mountain ranges of Japan is to head out early in the morning to see unkai.
Nemawashi 根回し
laying the groundwork
An informal process to lay the foundations of a new plan by considering and talking to those concerned.
Kuidaore 食い倒れ
eating yourself into bankruptcy
Meaning you love so food and drink so much that you are willing to spend all your money for it! Do you know anyone who fits the bill?
Tsundoku 積ん読
acquiring books till they pile up and you never get around to reading them
All bibliophiles are guilty of this!
Wasuremono 忘れ物
something left behind unintentionally, lost or forgotten
Surprisingly, you have don’t have one word in English for saying you lost or forgot something.
Irusu 居留守
pretending to be out of the house
We all have done this probably once in our lifetime: avoided opening the door for an annoying neighbor or salesman
Komorebi 木漏れ日
sunlight filtering through trees
You must have taken shots of sunrays kissing the ground through a copse, now you have a word to #hashtag for these
Shinrinyoku 森林浴
lit. forest bathing
Relaxing and soaking up the energy of a forest; a great way to reconnect with nature
Do you know more that you have trouble finding a “one-word” English equivalent?
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