慢
arrogant; proud; boastful; sluggish; lazy
Kanji 1837
Thank you for visiting this Character Home Page. Below you'll find a synopsis of the essay. If you wish to read the full text, the PDF of the essay is available for purchase to the right.
Many 慢 terms involve pride. These words run the gamut from healthy self-regard (in a few cases) to pompous self-importance (much more of the time). However, 慢 also plays a role in 我慢 (がまん: patience), an incredibly positive quality that the Japanese revere. The essay explains how this is possible and examines various views on what 我慢 truly means in Japanese culture.
Revision history:
Nov. 27, 2024: p. 4: Fixed two broken links.
Aug. 11, 2023: p. 7 sidebar: Changed "pride" to "arrogance" in the translation of the first sample sentence.
Jan. 28, 2020:
- p. 2: Etymology Box: Replaced the old Henshall etymology with the new one.
- p. 16: Added a link to the Kanshudo games.
May 17, 2013: Originally published.
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