I was very pleased when I first learned the Japanese months. ichigatsu 一月, nigatsu 二月, sangatsu 三月...hey, they're just counting! How easy!
Imagine my surprise today to learn that in the past, the Japanese used month names like we do. The names have some interesting meanings, and are still used in literature.
Read all about them on About.com.
My favorite is shiwasu 師走, the "month of running priests". :D
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3 comments:
As a Japanese student, I should of known that. I didn't ;_; thanks for letting me know! that's realyl cool! ^.^
-Jair
I like to pretend I'm a Japanese student, and I didn't know either ;>
Still, that's pretty neat, all those month names. My fave is the month minazuki. Mainly because in Tucson, every month is minazuki. It just doesn't friggin' rain. At ALL! If Japan was in Arizona instead of where its at the months would look like this:
1-3: "Months of no rain, not much heat"
4-7: "Months of maybe rain, not as scorching heat"
8-9: "Months of no rain, hellish heat"
10-11: "Months of no rain, cooling relief"
12: "Month of coolness, but still no rain"
Yeah, Tucson is messed up like that.
-Jair
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