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Mar 28, 2015 · Hi Scott, thank you for your question! I think it can depend on context, but when talking *about* God with other Christians, we typically use honorifics. E.g. ”Jesus said” -> 「イエス様はおっしゃいました。」or 「イエス様は言われました。」 You’ll find this in many Japanese translations of the Bible as well.
This results in several interesting words and explanations that we are not used to. By studying the scriptures in Japanese or any sacred book of your religion, you will learn that the way of thinking and the origin of the words used in the Japanese language, gives a new idea and more meaning to every word you learn.
- Kami – The Basic Japanese Word and Kanji for “God” Kami and 神 (かみ) are the basic Japanese word and kanji for “god“, but they can also mean “deity“, “divinity“, or “spirit“.
- Kamisama – Most Respectful Way to Say “God” in Japanese. Kamisama (神様) is the most respectful way to say “god” in Japanese. It’s the basic Japanese word and kanji for god (神) combined with the honorific title sama (様), which is added to make a word sound politer and more respectful.
- Kamisan – Polite Word for “God” in Japanese. The word kamisan (神さん) is a politer version of kami (神), the basic word for “god“, but slightly less polite than the extremely respectful kamisama (神様).
- Ookami – Translates as “Great God” or “Sacred God” Ookami (大神) is another word that can be used to say “god” in Japanese, but it is better translated as “great god” or “sacred god“.
May 22, 2011 · The grandfather’s dying words to the young man are, and I paraphrase, “This power is yours. With it, you could conquer the world! You could become a god – or a devil!” In Japanese parlance, “Kami-sama” (神様、かみさま) is God, as in, the monotheistic variety. This is simply “kami” plus an honorific, going from god to God ...
- 幽玄 – Yūgen. “Profound and mysterious beauty.” This beautiful Japanese word is used in the context of a deep emotional response to a piece of art, like a Jackson Pollock painting, or nature.
- 懐かしい – Natsukashii. “Bringing forth happy, poignant memories of the past.” Natsukashii is used in the context of an object, sense, or scene bringing back sentimental memories of the past that illicit a warm, poignant feeling within.
- 金継ぎ – Kintsugi. “The art of broken things.” Kintsugi is used in the context of a broken object, like pottery, repaired with (traditionally) gold lacquer.
- 侘寂 – Wabi-sabi. “Imperfect beauty.” In terms of Japanese aesthetics, wabi-sabi is a central concept to both the language and traditional philosophy. It comes from the teachings of Buddhism, Japan’s most popular religion alongside Shinto, about the transient, imperfect nature of life itself.
Mar 12, 2024 · In Japanese, the word “kotodama” is written with the following two kanji characters: 言霊.The first one, koto, means “speech” or “word,” and the second, tama, means “spirit” or ...
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Sep 8, 2019 · The Japanese words ‘神 (kami)’ or ‘神様 (kamisama)’ and its English translation ‘God’ are one of such pairs. This post introduces some Japanese expressions and slang terms that use ‘God’ metaphorically, some of which may sound a little strange or impious to native English speakers.
