Mottainai (nonfiction): Difference between revisions
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[[File:Woman-mending-net_Utagawa_Kuniyoshi.jpg|thumb|Woman mending a fishing net (Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 1798 - 1861).]]'''Mottainai''' (もったいない?, ''mottainai'') is a Japanese term conveying a sense of regret concerning waste. | [[File:Woman-mending-net_Utagawa_Kuniyoshi.jpg|thumb|Woman mending a fishing net (Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 1798 - 1861).]]'''Mottainai''' (もったいない?, ''mottainai'') is a Japanese term conveying a sense of regret concerning waste. | ||
The expression "Mottainai!" can be uttered alone as an exclamation when something useful, such as food or time, is wasted, meaning roughly "what a waste!" or "Don't waste." | The expression "Mottainai!" can be uttered alone as an exclamation when something useful, such as food or time, is wasted, meaning roughly "what a waste!" or "Don't waste." | ||
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Mottainai has been referred to as a tradition, a cultural practice, and an idea which is still present in Japanese culture, which has become an international concept. | Mottainai has been referred to as a tradition, a cultural practice, and an idea which is still present in Japanese culture, which has become an international concept. | ||
== | == In the News == | ||
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== Fiction cross-reference == | == Fiction cross-reference == | ||
* [[Mister Apple | * [[Mister Apple Says Ouch]] | ||
== Nonfiction cross-reference == | |||
External links: | |||
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mottainai Mottainai] @ Wikipedia | * [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mottainai Mottainai] @ Wikipedia | ||
[[Category:Nonfiction (nonfiction)]] | [[Category:Nonfiction (nonfiction)]] | ||
Latest revision as of 06:45, 30 June 2016
Mottainai (もったいない?, mottainai) is a Japanese term conveying a sense of regret concerning waste.
The expression "Mottainai!" can be uttered alone as an exclamation when something useful, such as food or time, is wasted, meaning roughly "what a waste!" or "Don't waste."
In addition to its primary sense of "wastefulness", the word is also used to mean "impious; irreverent" or "more than one deserves".
Mottainai is an old Buddhist word, which has ties "with the Shinto idea that objects have souls."
Mottainai has been referred to as a tradition, a cultural practice, and an idea which is still present in Japanese culture, which has become an international concept.
In the News
Fiction cross-reference
Nonfiction cross-reference
External links:
- Mottainai @ Wikipedia