Japanese words with no English equivalent
Japanese has a word for sunlight through leaves and one for books you buy and never read. From komorebi to tsundoku, each with its meaning and the story behind it.
- boketto3 Nov 2026gazing into the middle distance with nothing at all going on inside
- kuchisabishii8 Oct 2026the mouth's own boredom — chewing something because there is nothing to do
- komorebi8 Sept 2026sunlight dappling through the leaves — sunbeams in the woods
- hanamiblind wordflower viewing: a picnic under the cherry blossoms
- ikigaipractice wordwhat makes a life worth living — a reason to get up
- kintsugipractice wordmending broken pottery with gold, so the crack stays visible
- kuidaoreblind wordruining yourself through extravagance on food
- shinrin-yokupractice worda slow, restorative soak in the woods — forest-bathing
- tsundokupractice wordbuying books and letting them pile up unread — book-hoarding