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新米 (しんまい, shinmai) Japanese meaning: new rice | Kotomora
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In autumn, new rice starts appearing in stores.
Usage patterns 新しん 米まい 〈 人ひと 〉 novice ~ (attached to a job title)
As a novice nurse, I study every day.
新しん 米まい を 炊た く to cook new rice
I'm looking forward to cooking and eating new rice when autumn comes.
新しん 米まい の 〈 人ひと 〉 a novice ~ (humble self-reference)
Please explain it clearly, even for a novice like me.
Related words 新米 carries a humble or self-deprecating tone about being inexperienced, while 新人 is a more neutral term for a newcomer, often in workplace or entertainment contexts.
初心者 focuses on someone's skill level as a beginner at an activity, while 新米 focuses on being new to a job or position.
新米 emphasizes inexperience and can sound colloquial or self-deprecating, whereas ルーキー tends to sound more neutral or even positive about a newcomer's promise.
新米 emphasizes inexperience (like a rookie still learning the ropes), while 新入り simply marks someone as recently joined without stressing skill level.
Opposites 古米 is rice harvested in an earlier year, the direct opposite of freshly harvested 新米.
ベテラン describes a seasoned, experienced person, the opposite of a novice 新米.
陳(ひね)refers to grain harvested over a year ago, while 新米 is freshly harvested rice from the current year.
Etymology Compound of 新 (new) and 米 (rice). The figurative sense 'novice' derives from the idea of being fresh and inexperienced, like newly harvested rice.