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mottainai
is a Japanese term conveying a sense of regret concerning waste.〔(Daijirin Japanese dictionary 2nd ed. ) (Japanese)〕 The expression "Mottainai!" can be uttered alone as an exclamation when something useful, such as food or time, is wasted, meaning roughly "what a waste!" or "Don't waste." In addition to its primary sense of "wastefulness", the word is also used to mean "impious; irreverent" or "more than one deserves".〔Masuda, K: Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary, page 1139. Kenkyusha Ltd., 1974〕
Mottainai is an old Buddhist word, which has ties "with the Shinto idea that objects have souls."〔 Mottainai has been referred to as a tradition,〔 a cultural practice, and an idea which is still present in Japanese culture,〔 which has become an international concept.
==Usage and translation==
''Mottainai'' in Japanese refers to more than just physical waste (resources). It is even used to refer to thought patterns that give rise to wasteful action. Grammatically, it can be used in Japanese as an exclamation ("mottainai!") or as an adjective phrase ("it feels mottainai"). There is no plural form. The collection of mottainai things could be called .
As an exclamation ("mottainai!") it means roughly "what a waste!" or "Don't waste."〔 A simple English equivalent is the saying "waste not, want not." A more elaborate meaning conveys a sense of value and worthiness and may be translated as "do not destroy (or lay waste to) that which is worthy." However, ''mottainai'' is an example of a word, like ''sukiyaki'' and ''sushi'', that cannot easily or accurately be translated directly into other languages.
抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』
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