4 ms·
English words that don't exist in Japanese: * identity (the notion simply does not exist here) * fairness (we don't care this either) * racist (but it doesn'
by euske 10y ago
English words that don't exist in Japanese:
* identity (the notion simply does not exist here)
* fairness (we don't care this either)
* racist (but it doesn't mean we don't have it, we're simply unaware of it)
And yes, there's an awkward translation for these words, but they all sound very foreign.
edit: added newlines
Another edit: I read that words like "liberty", "equality" or even "love" didn't exist in Japanese until 19c, when people were importing Western documents to Japan. That's probably why we're still so behind of these things.
- wodenokoto 10y agoI had a Japanese ID card, when I lived in Japan. So the notion must exist.
- kazinator 10y ago"identity" has connotations; it doesn't just mean mathematical sameness (such that if x and y are connected by identity, they are in fact the same thing and not distinct). Like "what is my identity?" Or "It's important for individuals to feel that they have an identity".
- kazinator 10y agoetymonline.com dates the appearance of "racist" as a noun to 1932 and as an adjective to 1938.
- euske 10y agoThere's a difference between the word has a historical record and it was commonly used. These words did exist. I was saying they are simply not in widespread use like the ones in English.
- titanix2 10y agoLove existed in the language way before the XIX century: 'ai' (愛), 'koi' (恋) but interestingly enough, these are also loanwords (from Chinese).
- euske 10y agoBeing in a dictionary didn't mean people used it. In my view, a word doesn't really exist until it reaches a certain widespread use.
- kazinator 10y agoDo you have a link to some free on-line dictionary of Japanese etymology where we can find the origins of words and how old they are?