Tag Archives: Tsuki ga Kirei (phrase)

There is a well-known (but probably untrue) story that Natsume Sōseki once translated “I love you” into Japanese as “tsuki ga kirei desu ne?”

February 7, 2025

Feb 2025

Tsuki ga Kirei in Shangri-La Frontier

Nicholas A. Ferrell

Somehow, an anime about people playing a virtual reality video game leads into a discussion of the Soseki-tsuki ga kirei legend.

March 14, 2021

Mar 2021

The Mystery of Sōseki and Tsuki ga Kirei

Nicholas A. Ferrell

There is a story that Natsume Sōseki once translated “I love you” from English to Japanese as “tsuki ga kirei.” I examine English-language sources on the story to determine its origins.