What's new
Learn Japanese with JapanesePod101.com

Masu Mystery

Welcome to our Japan community!

A discussion forum for all Things Japanese. Join Today! It is fast, simple, and FREE!

Joined
28 Dec 2021
Messages
13
Reaction score
10
Hi Everyone!

I’ve inherited a masu (ichi-go?) and would love to know what the kanji on it’s two sides is in English. I’m so grateful for this website!

Thank you, Cynthia
10B29363-DCC4-4214-AE52-5206C5A7A0C7.png

C3489434-7871-4656-87D8-55E649A78969.png
 

Majestic

先輩
Joined
12 Oct 2013
Messages
3,014
Reaction score
2,685
The writing on the side of the masu in the bottom picture is a play on words.

春夏冬 Spring, Summer, Winter. "No Autumn" = in Japanese is "aki nai". Akinai is also a homonym for "business" (商い)
五合 gogō (= half a masu). In Japanese 1/2 of a masu is pronounced "hanjō", which is a homonym for "success". (繁盛)

So the two together mean "business + success", and is a just a kind of good luck phrase/pun.

I can't make out the two kanji in the oval. The top one is 彌, but the bottom one eludes me. It would be the name of the company that made the masu. I'm thinking it must be a sake company, but a search on those key words doesn't turn up anything.
 
Joined
28 Dec 2021
Messages
13
Reaction score
10
Thank you, Majestic. It makes better sense now. At first, Google translate thought it was Chinese for the three seasons but I couldn’t understand why no Fall. That was after I got a translation for “half” and something weird like “pale head child”. I’m still not sure how my photo was seen as that (in Chinese) but you can imagine my confusion. I love my Japanese adventures in translation. 🧩😵‍💫😱🌊
 
Top Bottom