12 ms·

Watashiato

79 points by _Microft 4y ago

skmurphy 4y ago
watashiato n. curiosity about the impact you’ve had on the lives of the people you know, wondering which of your harmless actions or long-forgotten words might have altered the plot of their stories in ways you’ll never get to see. --- I don't do enough to express gratitude for the small kindnesses, the offhand insights,and the casual favors that opened doors and changed my perspective on possibilities in meaningful ways. I need to recommit to expressing appropriate gratitude. My resolution for Thanksgiving.
beauHD 4y ago
I've experienced this. I overthink things, and one day I was wondering if I ever altered the path of someone's life significantly due to my words / actions. I don't really mind if I didn't, but it would be nice to know. I've often said something profound that shattered someone's illusions about a subject, but whether they're more enriched as a person because of that is hard to say.
iandanforth 4y ago
This might be translated as 'after me' (watashi (私) I, ato (後) later) but I can't find any actual etymology.
- TeeTwoLee 4y ago
  I see you were similarly confused. The word was invented by the author.
- sidedishes 4y ago
  I believe they all come from the single book, Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, referenced in the blog. All the terms in there are new words! (The breakdown you have is what I would've guessed too, though.)
- Cyberdog 4y ago
  Neither can I; there's no "わたしあと" in Jisho or d.goo. Just searching the net returns this page: https://www.kankou-gifu.jp/spot/detail_6769.html https://www.kankou-gifu.jp/spot/detail_6769.html where it's written as 渡し跡, which would translate to something closer to "the ruins of a crossing" and seems to be used literally for a marker designating the former location of a river crossing ferry. Maybe this isn't Japanese, or maybe it was made up by a non-Japanese speaker who searched for the words "me" and "after" in an E-to-J dictionary and then mashed them together. I'm leaning towards the latter.
  - MiguelX413 4y ago
    Many if not all of the words in the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows are unelegantly made up/coined tbh.
- innocenat 4y ago
  Likely 跡 not 後. The former can mean track mark as in the mark you have left on the society.
TeeTwoLee 4y ago
This initially confused me. I assumed the dictionary of obscure sorrows was a list of existing words for obscure sorrows, but I know watashi ato means “I” “after” literally in Japanese so it didn’t sound like a real word. The words in the blog are actually invented to describe obscure sorrows.
- innocenat 4y ago
  Ato using Kanji 跡 can also mean trace, track, mark. Which fits the definition better.
  - laurieg 4y ago
    When I saw this word I first thought of "ashi-ato" (footprint). I think the word was probably made to evoke this meaning.
    - layer8 4y ago
      I thought of 傷跡 kizuato, which means "scar", but literally "remains of a wound". So watashiato as "what remains of me" seems to make sense.
- louisch 4y ago
  watashi can be 渡し rather than 私, which means "to pass" I can't find a dictionary definition for 渡し跡, but you can find a few blog articles talking about old places that use this word. I think it might be an older Japanese word. https://shinsengumi-kanko.com/nagareyama-noda/yakkarawatashi/ https://shinsengumi-kanko.com/nagareyama-noda/yakkarawatashi...
vore 4y ago
While I like the concept, I wish they didn't choose to name this with such orientalist mysticism.
- flumpcakes 4y ago
  The book covers many invented words, based on many languages. Modern English is full of loan words, or anglicised words from a foreign root. Why do you get upset when the word is invented from Japanese? I didn't think words deriving fom "oriental" like "orientalist" were in vogue.
  - MiguelX413 4y ago
    I personally don't like how arbitrarily they're coined with uninteresting etymologies. I don't like the word “sonder” either.
  - CharlesW 4y ago
    > I didn't think words deriving fom "oriental" like "orientalist" were in vogue. Correct, it's considered derogatory and antiquated: https://meng.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/meng-bill-to-remove-the-term-oriental-from-us-law-passed-by-senate https://meng.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/meng-bill... (Became U.S. law on 5/20/1996: https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/4238 https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/4238)
    - maxbond 4y ago
      https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orientalism https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orientalism > In art history, literature and cultural studies, Orientalism is the imitation or depiction of aspects in the Eastern world. GGP is not using a slur, they're suggesting that this is an inappropriate use of Japanese culture as an aesthetic by a Western writer. Reducing a culture to an aesthetic is harmful because it essentializes and stereotypes a culture and those in it. (I don't know if I agree about this particular example or not, I'm still pondering; only explaining.)
  - asutekku 4y ago
MarcoZavala 4y ago
kypro 4y ago
I used to play this MMORPG game when I was 14 with some school friends on voice chat. But there was one guy I made friends with in-game who I'd quest with when my real-world friends weren't online. One day when I was playing with him I invited him on our voice chat and he started playing me some songs and asking what I thought. I never really listened to music back then, but some of the rock songs he played me really resonated with me so I downloaded them and would listen to them when I was gaming. I think that might have been the only time I ever spoke to this guy with voice, but when I think about the songs he played me that night it's crazy how massive of an impact they had on the direction of my life. After liking some of the songs he played me I started listening to more and more rock music. And back then teens were quite segmented by music taste so I found myself gravitating towards different friends who were more into my music taste. To this day I think this change of friends has had a noticeable affect on my personality and fashion sense. Also those friends were more "academic(?)" than my existing friends so that probably resulted me in studying computer science which resulted in a whole host of career opportunities that otherwise wouldn't have occured. But there are some more subtle ways in which I think it altered the direction of my life. For example, when I was at university I used to like going to rock clubs and it was at one of those clubs I met my current partner. And then when I think about all the things I've done with her it's crazy just to think about how massive of an impact simply being at that club on that night had by itself. It's funny though because I doubt he even remembers me, but I think about him a lot. And in turn it makes me wonder how I might have impacted people I don't even remember both for better and worse. I'm sure everyone has a story like this, but I've always thought it was interesting how a moment seemingly so unremarkable with a guy across the Atlantic ocean had such a dramatic impact on my life.
- srcreigh 4y ago
  What were some of the songs? And which game was this?
  - kypro 4y ago
    To be clear I was a cringey teen lol, I don't listen to this stuff anymore... But the song I liked was "Move Along" by the The All American Rejects. I think he also played some songs by Linkin Park too, but I remember Move Along because that was the song that got me into that genre of music. Then from there I started listening to Indie music which was more of a thing here in the UK in the late noughties - The Killers, Arctic Monkeys, etc. That later progressed into stuff like The Smiths and Joy Division, and to this day I listen to a lot of music which derives from the late 80s indie scene. I guess you could argue I'd have found the same music another way because these were fairly common bands at the time. But I still think it's interesting that I can trace so many things in my life today back to that specific moment in time. The game was Conquer Online. It's not great anymore but around 2006ish it was a pretty decent free MMORPG.
abanayev 4y ago
Why is an additional entry in the browser history added by default?
- kuramitropolis 4y ago
  Yeah I hate when websites do this, too. Because the site's based on Tumblr I guess.
1MachineElf 4y ago
I don't know Japanese, but it's quite similar to Watanagashi in spelling, sound, and theme. Watanagashi is a festival in the anime series Higurashi: When They Cry - kind of the ultimate murder mystery spread across 4 seasons.
g5095 4y ago
For many years I've been trying to find a word for the sorrow one feels when on reaching for a cup, we realise we finished our tea/coffee some time ago and the cup is indeed now empty. @dictionaryofobscuresorrows please help me.
BrotherBisquick 4y ago
Sounds like impostor syndrome with extra steps.

79 points by _Microft 4y ago

watashiato n. curiosity about the impact you’ve had on the lives of the people you know, wondering which of your harmless actions or long-forgotten words might have altered the plot of their stories in ways you’ll never get to see. --- I don't do enough to express gratitude for the small kindnesses, the offhand insights,and the casual favors that opened doors and changed my perspective on possibilities in meaningful ways. I need to recommit to expressing appropriate gratitude. My resolution for Thanksgiving.

beauHD 4y ago

I've experienced this. I overthink things, and one day I was wondering if I ever altered the path of someone's life significantly due to my words / actions. I don't really mind if I didn't, but it would be nice to know. I've often said something profound that shattered someone's illusions about a subject, but whether they're more enriched as a person because of that is hard to say.

iandanforth 4y ago

This might be translated as 'after me' (watashi (私) I, ato (後) later) but I can't find any actual etymology.

TeeTwoLee 4y ago
I see you were similarly confused. The word was invented by the author.
sidedishes 4y ago
I believe they all come from the single book, Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, referenced in the blog. All the terms in there are new words! (The breakdown you have is what I would've guessed too, though.)
Cyberdog 4y ago
Neither can I; there's no "わたしあと" in Jisho or d.goo. Just searching the net returns this page: https://www.kankou-gifu.jp/spot/detail_6769.html https://www.kankou-gifu.jp/spot/detail_6769.html where it's written as 渡し跡, which would translate to something closer to "the ruins of a crossing" and seems to be used literally for a marker designating the former location of a river crossing ferry. Maybe this isn't Japanese, or maybe it was made up by a non-Japanese speaker who searched for the words "me" and "after" in an E-to-J dictionary and then mashed them together. I'm leaning towards the latter.
- MiguelX413 4y ago
  Many if not all of the words in the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows are unelegantly made up/coined tbh.
innocenat 4y ago
Likely 跡 not 後. The former can mean track mark as in the mark you have left on the society.

TeeTwoLee 4y ago

This initially confused me. I assumed the dictionary of obscure sorrows was a list of existing words for obscure sorrows, but I know watashi ato means “I” “after” literally in Japanese so it didn’t sound like a real word. The words in the blog are actually invented to describe obscure sorrows.

innocenat 4y ago
Ato using Kanji 跡 can also mean trace, track, mark. Which fits the definition better.
- laurieg 4y ago
  When I saw this word I first thought of "ashi-ato" (footprint). I think the word was probably made to evoke this meaning.
  - layer8 4y ago
    I thought of 傷跡 kizuato, which means "scar", but literally "remains of a wound". So watashiato as "what remains of me" seems to make sense.
louisch 4y ago
watashi can be 渡し rather than 私, which means "to pass" I can't find a dictionary definition for 渡し跡, but you can find a few blog articles talking about old places that use this word. I think it might be an older Japanese word. https://shinsengumi-kanko.com/nagareyama-noda/yakkarawatashi/ https://shinsengumi-kanko.com/nagareyama-noda/yakkarawatashi...

vore 4y ago

While I like the concept, I wish they didn't choose to name this with such orientalist mysticism.

flumpcakes 4y ago
The book covers many invented words, based on many languages. Modern English is full of loan words, or anglicised words from a foreign root. Why do you get upset when the word is invented from Japanese? I didn't think words deriving fom "oriental" like "orientalist" were in vogue.
- MiguelX413 4y ago
  I personally don't like how arbitrarily they're coined with uninteresting etymologies. I don't like the word “sonder” either.
- CharlesW 4y ago
  > I didn't think words deriving fom "oriental" like "orientalist" were in vogue. Correct, it's considered derogatory and antiquated: https://meng.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/meng-bill-to-remove-the-term-oriental-from-us-law-passed-by-senate https://meng.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/meng-bill... (Became U.S. law on 5/20/1996: https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/4238 https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/4238)
  - maxbond 4y ago
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orientalism https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orientalism > In art history, literature and cultural studies, Orientalism is the imitation or depiction of aspects in the Eastern world. GGP is not using a slur, they're suggesting that this is an inappropriate use of Japanese culture as an aesthetic by a Western writer. Reducing a culture to an aesthetic is harmful because it essentializes and stereotypes a culture and those in it. (I don't know if I agree about this particular example or not, I'm still pondering; only explaining.)
- asutekku 4y ago

MarcoZavala 4y ago

kypro 4y ago

I used to play this MMORPG game when I was 14 with some school friends on voice chat. But there was one guy I made friends with in-game who I'd quest with when my real-world friends weren't online. One day when I was playing with him I invited him on our voice chat and he started playing me some songs and asking what I thought. I never really listened to music back then, but some of the rock songs he played me really resonated with me so I downloaded them and would listen to them when I was gaming. I think that might have been the only time I ever spoke to this guy with voice, but when I think about the songs he played me that night it's crazy how massive of an impact they had on the direction of my life. After liking some of the songs he played me I started listening to more and more rock music. And back then teens were quite segmented by music taste so I found myself gravitating towards different friends who were more into my music taste. To this day I think this change of friends has had a noticeable affect on my personality and fashion sense. Also those friends were more "academic(?)" than my existing friends so that probably resulted me in studying computer science which resulted in a whole host of career opportunities that otherwise wouldn't have occured. But there are some more subtle ways in which I think it altered the direction of my life. For example, when I was at university I used to like going to rock clubs and it was at one of those clubs I met my current partner. And then when I think about all the things I've done with her it's crazy just to think about how massive of an impact simply being at that club on that night had by itself. It's funny though because I doubt he even remembers me, but I think about him a lot. And in turn it makes me wonder how I might have impacted people I don't even remember both for better and worse. I'm sure everyone has a story like this, but I've always thought it was interesting how a moment seemingly so unremarkable with a guy across the Atlantic ocean had such a dramatic impact on my life.

srcreigh 4y ago
What were some of the songs? And which game was this?
- kypro 4y ago
  To be clear I was a cringey teen lol, I don't listen to this stuff anymore... But the song I liked was "Move Along" by the The All American Rejects. I think he also played some songs by Linkin Park too, but I remember Move Along because that was the song that got me into that genre of music. Then from there I started listening to Indie music which was more of a thing here in the UK in the late noughties - The Killers, Arctic Monkeys, etc. That later progressed into stuff like The Smiths and Joy Division, and to this day I listen to a lot of music which derives from the late 80s indie scene. I guess you could argue I'd have found the same music another way because these were fairly common bands at the time. But I still think it's interesting that I can trace so many things in my life today back to that specific moment in time. The game was Conquer Online. It's not great anymore but around 2006ish it was a pretty decent free MMORPG.

abanayev 4y ago

Why is an additional entry in the browser history added by default?

kuramitropolis 4y ago
Yeah I hate when websites do this, too. Because the site's based on Tumblr I guess.

1MachineElf 4y ago

I don't know Japanese, but it's quite similar to Watanagashi in spelling, sound, and theme. Watanagashi is a festival in the anime series Higurashi: When They Cry - kind of the ultimate murder mystery spread across 4 seasons.

g5095 4y ago

For many years I've been trying to find a word for the sorrow one feels when on reaching for a cup, we realise we finished our tea/coffee some time ago and the cup is indeed now empty. @dictionaryofobscuresorrows please help me.

BrotherBisquick 4y ago

Sounds like impostor syndrome with extra steps.