Talk:Mottainai

This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the Mottainai article.
This is not a forum for general discussion of the article's subject.

Put new text under old text. Click here to start a new topic.
New to Wikipedia? Welcome! Learn to edit; get help.

Article policies

Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL

Archives: 1, 2: 12 months

Philosophy: Social and political / Contemporary Low‑importance

This article is within the scope of WikiProject Philosophy, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of content related to philosophy on Wikipedia. If you would like to support the project, please visit the project page, where you can get more details on how you can help, and where you can join the general discussion about philosophy content on Wikipedia.PhilosophyWikipedia:WikiProject PhilosophyTemplate:WikiProject PhilosophyPhilosophy

Low

This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.

Associated task forces:
/
	Social and political philosophy
	Contemporary philosophy

Japan: Business and economy / Culture / Politics Low‑importance

This article is within the scope of WikiProject Japan, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Japan-related articles on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the project, participate in relevant discussions, and see lists of open tasks. Current time in Japan: 17:56, January 4, 2025 (JST, Reiwa 7) (Refresh)JapanWikipedia:WikiProject JapanTemplate:WikiProject JapanJapan-related

Low

This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.

This article is supported by the Business and economy task force.

This article is supported by the Culture task force.

This article is supported by the Politics task force.

WikiProject Japan to do list:

Peer review: None
A-class review: None

Featured content candidates –

Articles: None
Pictures: None
Lists: None

Good article nominations: Vinland Saga (TV series), Godzilla Minus One
Add requested images to articles that need them.
Pages for Deletion: Participate in Japan-related deletion discussions.
Improve and expand Japan-related stubs.
Create some requested articles.
Help translate an article from the Japanese Wikipedia into English.
Assess unassessed articles

Environment: Sustainability Low‑importance

	Environment portal This environment-related article is part of the WikiProject Environment to improve Wikipedia's coverage of the environment. The aim is to write neutral and well-referenced articles on environment-related topics, as well as to ensure that environment articles are properly categorized. Read Wikipedia:Contributing FAQ and leave any messages at the project talk page.EnvironmentWikipedia:WikiProject EnvironmentTemplate:WikiProject EnvironmentEnvironment
Low	This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.
	This article is supported by the Sustainability task force.

Sanitation Mid‑importance

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject Sanitation, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Sanitation on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.SanitationWikipedia:WikiProject SanitationTemplate:WikiProject Sanitationsanitation
Mid	This article has been rated as Mid-importance on the project's importance scale.

This article was nominated for deletion on 21 July 2013. The result of the discussion was keep.

Wiki Education assignment: INQ 120 What a Waste

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 3 July 2023 and 27 July 2023. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Trexler369 (article contribs).

— Assignment last updated by Trexler369 (talk) 00:50, 14 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Vacuous text removed

Maathai worked to popularize the word mottainai in places outside Japan.^[1] Maathai learned about all the different places and cultures.^[1]^[vague]

Neither sentence is remotely supported by the reference, which is extremely general and does not mention "Maathai" or "mottainai".

^ ^a ^b Iwatsuki, Kunio (2008). Sustainable Use of Biodiversity, with Reference to the Japanese Spirit of Worshipping Nature (in "Conserving Nature, A Japanese Perspective") (PDF). Biodiversity Network Japan. pp. 4–11. ISBN 978-4-9901743-1-6. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 9, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2013.

Imaginatorium (talk) 16:44, 19 September 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Undue prominence in lead

The lead sentence currently states that mottainai can be used to "state that one does not deserve something because it is too good". While this is indeed a historical/possible use, in modern usage the term means "regret over waste" 99% of time and should be defined as such in the lead. Jpatokal (talk) 02:22, 1 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

[:0-1] Iwatsuki, Kunio (2008). Sustainable Use of Biodiversity, with Reference to the Japanese Spirit of Worshipping Nature (in "Conserving Nature, A Japanese Perspective") (PDF). Biodiversity Network Japan. pp. 4–11. ISBN 978-4-9901743-1-6. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 9, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2013.

[1]