Shiwasu - December

Shiwasu

It is already December. Time flies, doesn't it? The Japanese word for December is "juuni-gatsu," which literally means, "twelfth month." Each month has an older Japanese name, and December is called "shiwasu (師走)." The old names are not commonly used today, but "shiwasu" is the one that you would hear more often than the others. It is written with kanji characters for "master, teacher" and "to run." There are several theories for the origin of the name, "shiwasu." One of them is that December is so busy that even a priest has to pray on the run.

Japanese Translation

師走

いつの間にか、もう12月。時のたつのは早いですね。12月は文字通り、12番目の月という意味です。陰暦では、12月は師走といいます。陰暦の月の呼び名は、現在ではあまり使われませんが、師走はその中でもわりとよく耳にする言葉です。"先生、僧侶"の意味である"師"と"走る"という漢字で書かれます。師走の語源については、いくつかのいわれがあります。お経をあげるため、お坊さんがあちこちの家を忙しく走り回るからというのが、一般的な説です。忙しい時期ではありますが、周りにせかされることなく、物事にゆっくり取り組めるように心がけたいです。

Romaji Translation

Itsunomanika, mou juuni-gatsu. Toki no tatsu nowa hayai desu ne. Juuni-gatsu wa moji doori, juuni ban me no tsuki to iu imi desu. Inreki dewa, juuni-gatsu wa shiwasu to iimasu. Inreki no tsuki no yobina wa, genzai dewa amari tsukawaremasen ga, shiwasu wa sono naka demo warito yoku mimi ni suru kotoba desu. "Sensei, souryo" no imi de aru "shi" to "hashiru" to iu kanji de "shiwasu" to yomimasu. Shiwasu no gogen ni tsuitewa, ikutsukano iware ga arimasu. Juuni-gatsu wa isogashii node, obousan de sae, okyou o ageru tameni achikochi no ie o isogashiku hashirimawaru kara, to iu no ga ippanteki na setsu desu. Isogashii jiki dewa arimasu ga, mawari ni sekasareru koto naku, monogoto ni yukkuri torikumu youni shitai mono desu.

Note: The translation is not always literal.

Beginner's Phrases

Time flies, doesn't it?

  • Toki no tatsu no wa hayai desu ne.
  • ときの たつのは はやいですね。
  • 時のたつのは早いですね。
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Abe, Namiko. "Shiwasu - December." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/shiwasu-december-2028243. Abe, Namiko. (2023, April 5). Shiwasu - December. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/shiwasu-december-2028243 Abe, Namiko. "Shiwasu - December." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/shiwasu-december-2028243 (accessed March 29, 2024).