CHARACTER HOME PAGE

cool, chic; refined; essence; pure
Kanji 1455

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.

Synopsis

By studying 粋, you might learn how to be cool, and you’ll definitely learn to comment on people’s failed attempts at stylishness! You’ll immerse yourself in the spirit of Edo culture and see how it permeates the language today. Plus, you’ll discover words for “purity,” “nationalism,” and “the best of technology,” also finding out how to say “He is a Parisian through and through.”

Revision History:

Sept. 6, 2024: p. 4: Made slight changes to the photo caption to match decisions that I made for the same caption in essay 1572.

Dec. 21, 2023: p. 10 sidebar: Fixed a grammatical error in the English.

Aug. 31, 2021: p. 10: Updated the reference to the Henshall etymology, reflecting the one in the newer edition.

May 28, 2019: Made the following changes.

  • p. 1: Added the new Henshall number.
  • p. 2: Replaced the old Henshall etymology with the new one.
  • p. 9: The word 階下 (へいか: His/Her Highness) should have been written as 陛下 and now is.

Oct. 26, 2018: Originally published.

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Kanji PDF
Cover of essay 1455 on 粋 (cool, chic), titled "Quintessential Coolness"
Mini Profile
JOYO ON-YOMI
スイ
JOYO KUN-YOMI
いき
STROKES10
RADICAL米 (119: rice)
JLPTN1
HALPERN871/1188
HENSHALL1455/1560
SPAHN6b4.5