1.
abundant harvest; fertility; bountifulness; richness
Describes an abundant harvest or the state of being rich and productive. Used literally for agricultural abundance and figuratively for cultural or creative richness.
豊穣の秋を祝う。
To celebrate an abundant autumn harvest.
豊穣な大地がこの地域の誇りだ。
The fertile land is the pride of this region.
村の人たちは毎年、五穀豊穣を祈る祭りを行う。
The villagers hold a festival every year to pray for an abundant grain harvest.
豊穣 is a literary, somewhat elevated word meaning abundant harvest or rich productivity, used both literally for crops and figuratively for cultural or imaginative richness.
USAGE:
- Functions as a な-adjective and as a noun.
- The literal sense refers to a bountiful agricultural harvest.
- The figurative sense praises something as 'rich,' 'fertile,' or 'fecund' — typically applied to abstract qualities like culture, imagination, or literary tradition.
PREDICATE VS. MODIFIER:
- Modifier: 豊穣な大地 (fertile earth), 豊穣な文化 (rich culture), 豊穣な想像力 (rich imagination)
- Predicate: 今年の実りは豊穣だ (this year's harvest is bountiful)
CULTURAL CONTEXT:
- The set phrase 五穀豊穣 (abundant harvest of the five grains) is recited in Shinto prayers and harvest festivals across Japan.
- The five grains traditionally are 米 (rice), 麦 (wheat/barley), 粟 (foxtail millet), 豆 (beans), and 黍 (proso millet).
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 豊富: abundant, plentiful (everyday word, much more common).
- 豊か: rich, abundant (the most general and neutral term).