Unit 5: Japanese Literature Vocabulary

Flashcards for vocabulary terms from Unit 5 on Japanese Literature, including definitions for each term.

Ablutions

The washing of one’s body or part of it (as in a religious rite); almost always plural.

Brazier

A metal pan or bowl used to hold burning coals or charcoal.

Caesura

A pause, often indicated by punctuation in English; a literary term.

Choka

A Japanese poem consisting of an unlimited number of lines of 5 and 7 syllables with an additional 7-syllable line at the end.

Earnest

Serious; solemn; showing sincere conviction.

Expatiate

To speak or write at length or in detail; to wander.

Flout

To treat with contemptuous disregard; to scorn.

Gesticulate

To make gestures, especially when speaking.

Impunity

Exemption or freedom from punishment, harm, or loss.

Interminable

Seeming to have no end; endless.

Kami

Spirits that inhabit the different elements of nature; related to Shintoism.

Kigo

A seasonal word (such as 'snow' or 'cherry blossom') in Japanese poetry to connect the poem to a specific time of year.

Loathsome

Appalling; disgusting; offensive.

Shite

The protagonist in a Japanese Nōh play.

Slovenly

Untidy, especially in personal appearance; unkempt.

Solace

A source of relief or consolation; also a verb meaning to console.

Tanka

A Japanese poem consisting of five lines of 5-7-5-7-7 syllables.

Unsullied

Not soiled or tarnished; chaste; clean; pristine; spotless.

Vista

A distant view through or along an avenue or opening; perspective.

Zuihitsu

A type of Japanese nonfiction characterized by formlessness.