Okkū (億劫 - Bothersome)

Okkū

If you want to describe a feeling that you are not willing to do something because of bothersome, you can use the Japanese term 'okkū' (億劫).

Originally, 'okkū' was a Buddhist term, which represented a length of time that was too long to measure.

'Oku' (億) means "a hundred million," and 'kū/kou' (劫) means a time taken to completely disperse a rocky mountain with a side length of about 2000 kilometers by stroking it with a cloth once in 100 years.

Since such an act to take a lot of time is troublesome and bothersome, 'okkū' has come to have the meaning of "bothersome."

億劫

何かをするのが面倒で気が進まないことを、日本語で「億劫」と言うことがあります。

「億劫」はもともと仏教用語で、計算できないほどの大変な長さの時間を表すものでした。

「億」は一億 ("a hundred million")、「劫」は1辺約2000kmの岩山を100年に一度布で撫で、岩山が擦り減って無くなるのにかかる程の時間を意味します。

このようにとてつもなく時間のかかるものは面倒であることから、「億劫」は「面倒」の意味を持つようになったというわけです。