Technical Japanese

Another news item from National Geographic this time, an article about solar eclipses:

http://www.nationalgeographic.co.jp/science/space/solar-system/solar-eclipse-article.html

The title in this case is simply:

日食
with a subtitle of:

天空の太陽が覆い隠される

——————————————-

日食 – にっしょく – solar eclipse

This is such a compelling word, with the use of the kanji 食, meaning food, or a meal. It seems something like “the sun is eaten.” It is also interestingly similar to:

日本食 – にほんしょく – Japanese food

I think this is my new favorite Japanese word, at least for this week.

As for the subtitle:

天空 – てんくう – the sky
太陽 – たいよう – the sun
覆い隠す – おおいかくす – conceal

This is a quotation from Homer’s Odyssey, and is translated variously from Greek as:
-The sun is blotted out of heaven
-The Sun has been obliterated from the sky
-The sun has perished out of heaven

These all seem substantially more poetic than the Japanese translation, but I don’t know which is more authentic to the original.

Overall a relatively simple headline, but I think it has several interesting points.

日食
Solar Eclipse
天空の太陽が覆い隠される
The Sun is Concealed in the Sky

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