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Mottainai (もったいない, [mottainai]) is a Japanese term conveying a sense of regret concerning waste. The expression "Mottainai!" can be uttered alone as an exclamation when something useful, such as food or time, is wasted, meaning roughly "what a waste!" or "Don't waste." In addition to its primary sense of "wastefulness", the word is also used to mean "impious; irreverent" or "more than one deserves".
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Mottainai is an old Buddhist word, which has ties "with the Shinto idea that objects have souls." Mottainai has been referred to as a tradition, a cultural practice, and an idea which is still present in Japanese culture, which has become an international concept.
Usage and translation
Mottainai in Japanese refers to more than just physical waste (resources). It is even used to refer to thought patterns that give rise to wasteful action. Grammatically, it can be used in Japanese as an exclamation ("mottainai!") or as an adjective phrase ("it feels mottainai"). There is no plural form. The collection of mottainai things could be called mottainai koto (もったいない事?).
As an exclamation ("mottainai!") it means roughly "what a waste!" or "Don't waste." An English equivalent is the saying "waste not, want not." A more elaborate meaning conveys a sense of value and worthiness and may be translated as "do not destroy (or lay waste to) that which is worthy." However, mottainai is an example of a word, like sukiyaki and sushi, that cannot easily or accurately be translated directly into other languages.
Origins
In ancient Japanese, mottainai had various meanings, including a sense of gratitude mixed with shame for receiving greater favor from a superior than is properly merited by one's station in life.
One of the earliest appearances of the word mottainai is in the book Genpei Jōsuiki (A Record of the Genpei War, ca. 1247).
Mottainai is a compound word, mottai+nai. Mottai (勿体?) refers to the intrinsic dignity or sacredness of a material entity, while nai (無い?) indicates an absence or lack (Mottai further consists of mochi (勿?), meaning "inevitable; unnecessary to discuss", and tai (体?), meaning "entity; body").
Mottai was originally used in the construction mottai-ga-aru (勿体が有る?, literally "having mottai"), which referred to a dignified entity. Today, mottai is also used in the construction mottai-buru (勿体振る?), meaning "pretentious" or "giving oneself airs" by assuming more dignity than one truly possesses.
Buddhists traditionally used the term mottainai to indicate regret at the waste or misuse of something sacred or highly respected, such as religious objects or teaching. Today, the word is widely used in everyday life to indicate the waste of any material object, time, or other resource. Compare also the concept of tsukumogami "artifact spirit", which are said to live in old objects that have gained self-awareness and are angered if the object is thrown away wastefully.
Efforts to revive the tradition
In November 2002, the English-language, Japan-based magazine Look Japan ran a cover story entitled "Restyling Japan: Revival of the 'Mottainai' Spirit," documenting the motivation amongst volunteers in a "toy hospital" in Japan to "develop in children the habit of looking after their possessions," the re-emergence of repair shops specializing in repairing household appliances or children's clothes, the recycling of PET bottles and other materials, the collection of waste edible oil, and more generally the efforts to stop the trend of throwing away everything that can no longer be used, i.e. the efforts of reviving "the spirit of "mottainai"". In that context, Hitoshi Chiba, the author, described "mottainai" as follows:
A modern observance that practices mottainai is the yearly festival of Hari-Kuyo, or the Festival of Broken Needles.
Use by Wangari Maathai
At a session of the United Nations, Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai introduced the word mottainai as a slogan for environmental protection; she wore a T-shirt with the word "mottainai" on it, and she "explained that the meaning of the term mottainai encompasses the four Rs of reduce, reuse, recycle and repair." She argued that "we should all use limited resources effectively and share them fairly if we are to avert wars arising from disputes over natural resources." Maathai has worked to popularize the concept of mottainai in places outside Japan.