Japanese people say, “Cranes live a thousand years, turtles for ten thousand years,” while the word for sea bream (fish) in Japanese is “tai,” which matches the latter part of the word “medetai,” meaning “lucky.”
The owl is connected with the saying, “He without hardship is untroubled,” since the word for “owl” is “fukurou,” in Japanese, which is homophonous with the word for “untroubled.”
“Frog” is “kaeru” in Japanese, which is homophonous with the word “return” in the phrase “Lost objects and money will return.”
Lucky plants are pine, bamboo, and plum. The original theory comes from the Chinese tale “Three Friends of Winter.”
October’s symbolic animal is the owl. I remembered the book I read in Japan.
日本人は、「鶴は千年、亀は万年 」って言ったり、「めでタイ」の鯛と結びつけたりします。他にも、「苦労がないから不苦労」とフクロウと結びつけたり、「なくした物やお金がかえる」とカエルと結びつけたりも。
植物であれば、「松・竹・梅」かな。元々は、中国の「歳寒三友」から来たものだそう。
10月の動物はフクロウ(いくつかあるうちの1つ)とのこと。日本で読んだ本を思い出して、少し書いてみました。
Photo by Pixabay
4 responses to “Japanese Lucky Animals and Plants”
Very nice post, Lili!
Thank you!😊
What a delightful introduction to Japanese culture and the beautiful meanings hidden in everyday words! I especially loved the connections between the owl and “untroubled,” and the frog and “return”—such wordplay turns ordinary animals into little symbols of hope and good fortune.
Thank you. I like reading books, but I don’t have enough time every day. I will find a new book next time when I return to Japan 😊