FOUND IN TRANSLATION

Whether a cat’s paw or a long eye, these Japanese expressions and idioms not only reveal something of Japan’s culture, they might help our thinking, too

Words: YOSHIE OMATA

Sunlight leaking through trees KOMOREBI 木漏れ日 This expression describes sunlight filtering through trees and, as well as having a descriptive element, it’s used to express a love of natural beauty. Let’s imagine you walk into a forest on a sunny day and the light rays are filtering through the branches of leafy trees, the dappled sunlight reflected on the path. 木漏れ日 or komorebi captures this very subtle and beautiful natural phenomenon in four short syllables. The concept doesn’t really exist as a phrase in other languages and can’t be translated as a single word. To see with the long eye NAGAI ME DE MIRU 長い目でみる Life is full of surprises – some of them not so great – so sometimes it’s a good idea to ‘look at things with the long eye’, or to anticipate future consequences.…

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The Simple Things (Digital) - 1 Issue, February 2024

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