Izayoi (the Night of the 16th Moon)
So last night was the 16th night of the lunar month in my area. In Japanese, it’s written as 十六夜. Easy enough, right? “十六” is 16 (juroku), “夜” is night (yoru or ya). So naturally, “Juroku yoru?” “Juroku ya?” One of those has to be it. Right? But no. I remember my teacher saying, “Nice try. It's pronounced Izayoi." HOW? WHY? Where did Izayoi come from? Wait, does the Kanji have a tiny dot or something that changes the reading? (for example, 大 is Dai, 犬 is Inu. MEAN!! But I digress) "Nope," teacher explained. Apparently, “Izayoi” comes from an old verb meaning “to hesitate.” Because the moon on the 16th night rises just a little later than the full moon on the 15th. Aw. That’s kind of beautiful. And such a lovely sound. Izayoi. Aw. Still… WHY? WHY? WHY did they decide to read that way? And my teacher's voice came in again: "ENOUGH! My mental health is at risk!" Well. Language is wild. The moon is poetic. And I still hesitate to explain why "十六夜" is pronounced Izayoi.