''Yamato nadeshiko'' ( or ) is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

term meaning the "

personification Personification occurs when a thing or abstraction is represented as a person, in literature or art, as a type of anthropomorphic metaphor. The type of personification discussed here excludes passing literary effects such as "Shadows hold their ...

of an idealized Japanese woman", or "the epitome of pure, feminine beauty"; poised, decorous, kind,

gentle Gentle may refer to: * Gentleness People * Johnny Gentle, stage name of John Askew (born 1936), British pop singer who once toured with the Silver Beetles (later the Beatles) as his backing group * Peter Gentle (born 1965), Australian rugby league ...

graceful Gracefulness, or being graceful, is the physical characteristic of displaying "pretty agility", in the form of elegant movement, poise, or balance. The etymological root of ''grace'' is the Latin word ''gratia'' from ''gratus'', meaning pleasing ...

, humble,

patient A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other heal ...

, virtuous, respectful, benevolent, honest,

charitable The practice of charity is the voluntary giving of help to those in need, as a humanitarian act, unmotivated by self-interest. There are a number of philosophies about charity, often associated with religion. Etymology The word ''charity'' or ...

, faithful. It is a floral

metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wi ...

, combining the words '' Yamato'', an ancient name for Japan, and ''nadeshiko'', a delicate frilled pink carnation called '' Dianthus superbus'', whose

kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are still used, along with the subsequ ...

translate into English as "caressable child". The term "Yamato nadeshiko" is often used to describe a demure young woman and, in a contemporary context, nostalgically of women with good traits which are perceived as being increasingly rare. The official nickname of the Japan women's national football team is ''Nadeshiko Japan'' () which was derived from ''Yamato nadeshiko''.''Japanese Women and Sport: Beyond Baseball and Sumo'' by Robin Kietlinski, A&C Black, 1 December 2011. The nickname was chosen by contest in 2004.

References

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External links and references

sci.lang.japan FAQ: What is Yamato Nadeshiko
Female stock characters in anime and manga Japanese aesthetics Japanese values Japanese words and phrases Personifications Women in Japan

See also

References

External links and references