阿あ吽うん

noun

Om; A-un; primordial syllable

In Buddhist and Hindu thought, the sacred syllable representing the beginning and end of all things, often associated with the trinity of Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma. In Japanese Buddhism, it symbolizes the first and last sounds, and by extension, the universe.

from Sanskrit

• 阿あ吽うんは宇う宙ちゅうの始はじまりと終おわりを表あらわす音おととされる。

  A-un is said to be the sound that represents the beginning and end of the universe.

noun

breathing in and out; alpha and omega; perfect harmony

From the open-mouth 'a' (exhalation) and closed-mouth 'un' (inhalation), it metaphorically means the beginning and end, or two things that are perfectly matched. Often used in the phrase 阿吽の呼吸 (あうんのこきゅう) to describe an unspoken, intuitive synchronization between people.

• 長なが年ねん連つれ添そった夫ふう婦ふには阿あ吽うんの呼こ吸きゅうがある。

  A couple who have been together for many years have an intuitive, unspoken understanding.

• 彼かれらは阿あ吽うんの呼こ吸きゅうで仕し事ごとを進すすめた。

  They worked together in perfect sync, as if breathing in and out.