What do I say in Japan when sneezing?
The reaction to a sneeze seems to vary from country to country, but in Japan it is basically non-responsive.
If a sneeze startles people around you or interrupts a conversation, the person who sneezed may say “excuse me” . It is not an apology, but a light greeting of “I’m sorry for startling you” or “I’m sorry for interrupting your conversation”.
If the person talking to sneezes several times, you may ask him or her, “Are you okay?”
It means “Do you have a cold? or “Are yo chilly? There is no deeper meaning than that.
“Are you okay?” I’m fine” is the usual response. You don’t have to explain your condition, and the person who asked you the question isn’t waiting for you to explain.
The Riddle of Sneezing and Gossip
There is an old Japanese proverb that says, “If you sneeze, someone is gossiping about you”.
Sneezing comes out unintentionally, not intentionally. Therefore, in Japan, it used to be thought that it was caused by someone else.
- Sneezing because a loved one is thinking of you.
- It is the effect of something bad, some other force is at work.
It was taken in both good and bad ways. As time went by, the idea of sneezing because of other forces or people’s thoughts changed to “I am being gossiped about”.
One sneeze gets you one praise, two hate, three love, and four colds.
This is an old proverb, but it is not used much these days.
Depending on the region or age, a specific word (spell) may be said to the person who sneezes, but this has been decreasing with the changing times.
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