Metaphors and Cultural Values Part of Plants in Japanese Proverbs

Diponegoro University, Japanese Language and Culture Program, Semarang, Indonesia

Abstract

This study examines Japanese proverbs using the metaphor of the names of plant parts. The name of the plant part is one element that forms Japanese proverbs. The research aims to find several things, namely: 1) the use of plant parts names in Japanese proverbs; 2) finding the lexical and idiomatic meaning of plant parts names in Japanese proverbs; 3) finding the metaphor of plant parts in Japanese proverbs, and 4) finding the cultural values contained in Japanese proverbs that use the concept of the name of plant parts. The data collection was carried out by the author by taking data on Japanese proverbs from the internet and books. The results showed that there are names of plant parts used in Japanese proverbs, namely: 1) there are six groups of names of plant parts, including fruit, seed, root, leaf, flower, and stem; 2) there are lexical and idiomatic meanings of the names of plant parts in Japanese proverbs; 3) metaphors contained in proverbs that use the names of plant parts, namely, effort and self-protection; 4) cultural values contained in proverbs that use the names of plant parts, namely, respect for life, hard work, and vigilance for life.