1.
March (traditional Japanese calendar name)
The traditional Japanese name for the third month of the year. Part of the old Japanese calendar month naming system (和風月名) that is still used in formal, literary, and cultural contexts.
2.
Yayoi period (c. 300 BCE–300 CE)
A major period in Japanese prehistory characterized by the introduction of wet-rice agriculture, metalworking, and new pottery styles from the Asian continent.
The word 弥生 has deep cultural significance in Japan. As a month name, it evokes the image of plants beginning to grow abundantly as spring arrives. Also commonly used as a female given name.
Etymology
From いやおい (increasingly growing), referring to vegetation flourishing in spring. Over time shortened to やよい.
Traditional month names
Common collocations
- 弥生時代: the Yayoi period
- 弥生土器: Yayoi pottery
- 弥生文化: Yayoi culture
- 弥生の候: seasonal greeting for March (in formal letters)
Cultural note
The Yayoi period is named after the 弥生町 district in Tokyo where characteristic pottery was first discovered in 1884.