With a desire for learning and curiosity, over time I’ve collected an ever-growing glossary of words that reflect different parts of Hikarui, a way of showing up in the world that embodies living gently, intuitively and intentionally.

This glossary houses the words that Hikarui is built around and inspired by; words already a part of my day to day, others newer to me but defining existing ways of being that I’m now finding the words for, and some completely new, introduced by likeminded friends that resonate so beautifully.

Self expression is something I’ve always struggled with, not knowing or having the vocabulary to fully communicate my true feelings. These words gently ease that feeling, offering whole thoughts and expressions held in a single term.

Many are drawn from Japanese philosophies. Something I love about these words is how not a big deal they are in day to day Japanese culture — there’s a tendency for these words to become trendy and much bigger than they actually are in a way that negates the deeper meaning behind them. Instead of being the basis for whole aesthetic lifestyles, they are gentle reflections to feelings and ways of moving through the world to be inspired by and subtly embodied, implemented or used as small reminders.