文ぶん明めい開かい化か

ぶ

ん

め

い

か

い

か

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

noun

civilization and enlightenment; Westernization movement in Meiji Japan

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)›

Refers to the Meiji-era push to adopt Western technology, institutions, and ideas. Often used in historical contexts.

明めい治じ時じ代だい、文ぶん明めい開かい化かの

波なみ

が

日本にほん

を

大おお

きく

変か

え

た

。

During the Meiji era, the wave of civilization and enlightenment transformed Japan greatly.

文ぶん明めい開かい化かの象しょう徴ちょうとして、銀ぎん座ざにレンガ造づくりの街まち並なみが作つくられた。

As a symbol of civilization and enlightenment, brick buildings were constructed in Ginza.

Kanji

文sentence, literature, style
明bright, light
開open, unfold, unseal
化change, take the form of, influence

Related words

近きん代だい化か
近代化 is a broader term for modernization in any period, while 文明開化 specifically refers to the Meiji-era Westernization movement.
欧おう化か
欧化 means Europeanization or Westernization in general, without the enlightenment connotation of 文明開化.

Built from

文ぶん明めい+開かい化か

Etymology

A yojijukugo composed of 文明 (civilization) and 開化 (enlightenment, becoming civilized). It was coined during the Meiji period to describe the rapid adoption of Western culture and technology.