Loek van Kooten, MAWhen love breaks the rules, the Japanese have a word for what you're breaking: 道徳 (dōtoku).
道 (dō) means "the way" - movement (辶) guided by a head (首), someone leading the way down a road. The same kanji in kendō, judō, and chadō. 徳 (toku) means "virtue" - originally written as 悳: a straight line (直) above a heart (心), meaning "a straight heart. " Add 彳 (action) and you get virtue expressed through conduct. Together, 道徳 (dōtoku) is "the way of virtue": morality, ethics. Fun fact: in Japan, 道徳 (dōtoku) is an official school subject.
Since 2018, every child studies it with government-approved textbooks. たしかに道徳に反していたのかもしれない、だけど、この人とどうしても結婚したいと思ったの。 Tashika ni dōtoku ni hanshite ita no ka mo shirenai, dakedo, kono hito to dōshite mo kekkon shitai to omotta no. "Perhaps it is indeed immoral, but I was determined to marry this man. " When the heart and the moral compass disagree, that's when 道徳 (dōtoku) gets truly tested. Have you ever done something your head said was wrong but your heart couldn't resist?
道徳 (dōtoku) is on learn.japanology.nl. Kiko will quiz you and make sure you remember it tomorrow. We start with the easy stuff, so beginners are welcome too. #Japanese #LearnJapanese #Kanji #JLPT #WordOfTheDay #Japanology #Morality #Ethics #道徳 #JapaneseEducation #JapaneseCulture #Bushido