#gogen

Some words are difficult to understand when the word seems to have nothing to do with the meaning. It helps to know the 語源(ごげん) word origin to understand how a word like that could have that meaning. Here are some great words to know the 語源 for.

紅一点(こういってん)

紅(red) 一点(speck, dot, point)

the lone women(e.g. a bright flower) in a group

This word originates from Wang Anshin’s poem “ 詠柘榴”; there is a phrase reading”万緑叢中紅一点(ばんりょくそうちゅうこういってん. 万緑 means one surface of green,  叢中 means among the village of green. 紅一点 is one single red flower. The phrase means among one surface of green a blooming single red flower. It’s used as among many a single stand out. Ine the present age it is used mainly to mean the lone girl among many men.

後ろめたい( うしろめたい）

後ろ(back)

feeling guilty, having a guilty conscience 

It comes from 後ろ目痛し(うしろめいたし)  meaning when looking from the back the heart hurts. It means feeling guilty.

私に後ろめたいことは全くありません。

I have nothing to hide.

白羽の矢が立つ(しらはのやがたつ）

白羽(white feather) 矢(arrow) 

To be selected from among many people

According to a Japanese legend, a god wanted a human sacrifice. A white feather arrow struck the targeted girl’s roof.

次期社長として彼に白羽の矢が立てられた。

じきしゃちょうとしてかれにしらはのやがたてられた。

He was singled out as the next president.

稲妻(いなずま）

稲(rice plant) 妻(wife)

lightning 

It came from “稲の夫 (つま), rice plant’s husband

In ancient times, there was a belief when lightning strikes with a lot of thunder they impregnated the rice plants. So, the lightning was the rice plant’s husband.  “つま” used to be a word husband and wife called each other mutually. So with no relation to man or women,つま was said for both “妻”(wife) and “夫"(husband). It is thought in present times, for つま to be used for 妻、it became 稲妻. Meteorologically, when thunder is heavy, there’s many rainfall and sunshine, and the temperature is high, it is convenient for the growth of rice. It seems back then people knew from experience lots of thunder was good for the crops.