Japanese Language Blog

Early Japanese calligraphy was first influenced by Chinese calligraphy. The piece of writing on the left is titled がっきろん (楽毅論) and was produced by Empress Kōmyō (光明皇后). The Empress copied this text from the Chinese calligrapher Wang Xizhi. All the original works done by Wang Xizhi have been lost, so the only copy of this form of calligraphy still left to us is Empress Kōmyō’s がっきろん.

This piece is called, “Cry for Noble Saichō” (哭最澄上人) by Emperor Saga (嵯峨天皇). In contrast to the writing above, the characters are more rounded and less sharp. The characters are also less compact than the characters in the piece, がっきろん. In the late Heian era (平安時代), calligraphers began to slowly break away from Chinese influences to develop a unique Japanese style of calligraphy.

This is an excerpt from a collection of poems called, きんだいしゅうか or “Superior Poems of Our Time”. The author’s name is Fujiwara no Teika (藤原定家). By the time of the Kamakura period (鎌倉時代) (1185-1333 AD) and the Muromachi period (室町時代) (1333-1573) Japanese calligraphy became more restrained, but yet retaining the innovative cursive style started in the Heian period.

Japanese calligraphy has been affected by Zen Buddhism. Zen calligraphy tends to be very minimalist, with an emphasis on singular characters or phrases. The strokes tend to be dark, heavy and broad. Zen calligraphy is a spiritual experience for some calligraphers. The calligrapher is expected to put all his/her concentration in the strokes with fluid movments of the brush.

There are of course, many more styles of calligraphy not mentioned here. The point of this post was to show how Japanese calligraphy can be beautiful, technical, and various in form.

In Japanese, first and second pronouns are frequently omitted, but just for review, here are some of the most common first and second person pronouns : (Note: because of the complexity of the Japanese language, i.e. politeness, gender, context etc. not all of the possible pronouns are listed below. However, this is a pretty comprehensive list)

わたし/私 = I (formal). Can be used by males and females.

おれ/俺 = I (informal). Mostly used by males. Depending on the situation, may be crude to use. Considered overly masculine.

ぼく/僕 = I (informal). Mostly used by males. When used by females, it gives off a tomboyish impression.

あたし = I (informal). Mostly used by girls in conversation, but not in written communication. When males use it, it might give an impression of effeminateness.

Referring to oneself in the third person by using one’s own name = (informal) is sometimes used by children and young women as a way to sound cute when talking about oneself.  

おいら = I (informal). Used by males, but rarely used because of the stereotype associated with being a country bumpkin.

あなた = singular you. Formality depends on the situation. May be used by married women as a way to address their husbands. Similar to the word “dear” or “honey”.

あんた = singular you (informal). Considered rude.

おまえ/お前 = singular you (informal). Used mostly by men. Avoid using this to superiors/seniors.

てめい = singuar you (informal). Mostly used by males; especially in a confrontational manner just before a fight.

きさま/貴様 = singular you (informal). Mostly used by males, especially when angry.

きみ/君 = singular you (informal). It’s rude with superiors, but can be an affectionate term with friends.

One way to ask for permission to do something is to use the construction ~てもいいですか

座ってもいいですか = May I sit down?

(すわってもいいですか/座っていいですか = May I sit down?)

To approve, you can use the construction ~てもいいですよ

はい、すわってもいいですよ = Yes, you may sit down.

(はい = yes.  座ってもいいですよ = you may sit down)

To deny permission to do something, you can use the construction ~はいけません

いいえ、座ってはいけません = No, you may not sit down.

(いいえ = No.  座ってはいけません = you may not sit down.)

The も can be left off of てもいいですか, which is more informal :

帰っていいですか = May I leave?

(かえっていいですか/帰っていいですか = May I leave?)

When asking permission to do something from a person of higher status, it’s probably better to use the construction ~てもよろしですか

入ってもよろしですか = May I come in?

(はいってもよろしですか/入ってもよろしですか = May I come in?)

When giving permission to a superior the construction ~てもけっこうです can be used :

食べてもけっこうです = You may eat it

(たべてもけっこうです/食べてもけっこうです = You may eat it)