Plum Rain

梅＋雨＝つゆ（梅雨）？

What's the connection of rainy season to plums? For those of you in Japan, I am a bit envious. We could use some rain in England right now (except it would ruin the tennis at Wimbledon).

Comments

[投稿： Todd]

I think the kanji for tsuyu refers to the fact that the ripening of the plums coincides with coming of the monsoon (perhaps assisted or hastened by the rain)...

[投稿： Darren]

Todd, thanks for that. Sounds like a good theory.

Anyone else care to back up this theory?

I asked a Japanese person this question today and he was stumped ;)

[投稿： Owen]

I've asked many of my Japanese co-workers (maybe 6 or so now) and none of them have a good answer! The most plausible one echoes Todd's result, and I'm assured that it's a very old word (so even if the ripening of plums is no longer relevant, it's still associated with the rainy season).

I have to wonder, though... where is all the rain we've been promised? I thought the rainy season was supposed to be, um, rainy?

[投稿： Darren]

Hi there Owen. Thanks for taking such an interest and asking all your colleagues. I wonder when Japanese people learn kanji compounds whether they ever question their origins.

At times in Japan I also wondered why rainy season wasn't all that rainy. Maybe that's because I'm a Londoner =)

[投稿： Lotrzyna]

Hi there.
Im from Poland. I learn japanese since 10.2004 (its only 2times (2*1,5h) per week :(( ) I will try to pass LVL 4 this year.
I reached this site from google - I was serching something about JLPT (copies of one if there are :P) and google gave me link to your post from december 2004 - post about your thoughts before within and after JLPT lvl 2 exam. That post interested me alot so i started to read your site and decided to write that short comment ;)
Ja omedetou cos you passed as you said in a post from 02.2005 :) lvl 2 -> i would like to pass it some day but as you said in some other post (word post used too many times ;) ) i will probably have to go to japan and use that great language more often ("get my heands dirty" ;) ).I mean i would love to go to and live in japan but its little bit takai desu ;)
Will you try to pass level 1 ?

ja mata
Lotrzyna

ps. Im sorry for my weak english :/
ps2. I will step by from time to time cos your thoghts and those little facts about japanese (for example the one with 50 000 en) interested me alot :)

[投稿： Darren]

Lotrzyna, thanks a lot for taking the time to read my site and for commenting. It's always nice to hear when your efforts are appreciated.

I am not sure if I will take the JLPT Level 1 this year or not. Maybe I should try it just to see how tough it is. Good luck with level 4 and hope to see you on the site again.

[投稿： Darren]

梅の実が熟する（ジュクスル）頃に降る雨だから「梅雨」だそうですって友達が昨日教えてくれました。