Mari Yoshida (Power speaking by Michelle)
I am proud of being Japanese.
There are safe, high technologies, convenience, beautiful sceneries, delicious food, diligent people and original culture in Japan.
I want to introduce " Expression of Japanese words" .
Do you have an experience that you couldn't figure out the words in English what you want to say in your native language?
It is difficult to look for the same expression.
because it differs.
Each native language has the culture of each country.
There is a close connection between history of language and culture of country.
There are a vocabulary "Onomatopoeic" and "Mimesis" in Japanese.
Japanese does not have a lot of numbers of the adjective and verb.
However, We can describe more elaborate our feelings with these words.
"Onomatopoeic" is a word that is imitated a voice of the living thing and an actual sound.
For instance,
English→"pig barks."
Japanese→"Pig barks and Boo-Boo."
"Boo-Boo" shows the sound of pig's cry.
"Mimesis" is a word that symbolically expressed the action and the state.
For instance,
It's raining and ”shito-shito”.
Rain does not actually make the sound such as "shito-shito".
But, "shito-shito" shows the state that weak rain is falling.
Above all,I like "Mimesis" among Japanese expression.
Because We can be clearly imaged the scene by using mimesis.
A lot of mimesis are used for lyrics of Japan.
There is a song that sings cherry blossoms.
It's my favorite song.
It is an expression in that,and there is
"Cherry blossoms petals are fluttering down and "hira-hira".
Can you imagine this situation?
The scene where it not only just fluttering but also cherry blossoms flutter down quietly and slowly is shown by using"hira-hira".
Cherry blossoms bloom in Japan during the spring.
It is time of meeting and farewells.
At the same time,cherry blossoms fluttering fragility feels the start and the end.
It is exactly"Bitter and sweet"when saying in English.
I want to introduce one more thing.
Do you know "Hyakunin isshu"?
"Hyakunin isshu"is hundred poem-cards that collection of Japanese poems of 100 poets in the Edo Era.
The Japanese poem is peculiar poetry to Japan.
It is made from the rhythm of the sound like 5-7-5-7-7 .
It is fundamental form.
It is written in the word used in the past age that is called an archaic word.
I learnt it at the elementary school.
I was not able to grasp the intention of the Japanese poem in those days.
However, there is something that it is possible to sympathize now since I grown up.
At first,I want to write the Japanese poem in Japanese.
Rhythm is 5-7-5-7-7.
"Kimigatame oshikarazarisi inochisae nagakumoganato omohikerukana."
by Yoshitaka Fujiwara.
Secondly,I'm going to explain of this poem in English.
"I thought I can die for meeting you,However now it became the time to meet you ,I desire to living indefinitely,and stay with you...".
What do you think of that?
If you have an experience to fall in love with someone.
This poem will be able to sympathize.
Feelings to think of a dear person do not change in now and the past.
There are a lot of poems that even we live at present can sympathize in one hundred poem-cards.
I think that there are the poems that touch you by your situation.
Why don't you expose to world of beautiful Japanese words. ;)
