Four-character Compounds

The Japanese language makes use of a surprising number of 四字熟語 – four-character compounds.
There are hundreds of them! Many base on Chinese, but there are also some Japanese originals. Thanks to these compounds you can express different ideas in a figurative, ‘poetic’ way.

老若男女 – ろうにゃくなんにょ・ろうにゃくだんじょ– rōnyakunannyo – The old, the young, men and women = simply everybody.

一期一会 – いちごいちえ – ichigoichie – One period of time (lifetime), one meeting. Something that will not repeat, so you need to cherish it while it lasts. A Japanese-made compound.

春夏秋冬 – しゅんかしゅうとう – shunkashūtō – Spring, summer, autumn and winter. The four seasons play a huge cultural role in Japan.

Try remembering these words – you will be surprised how often they come up!

Written by AL