KT01 Word Line
あいさつ
挨拶
Aisatsu
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Meaning
greetings and courtesies
Words or bows exchanged when meeting or parting. Also used for a speech at a ceremony.
Example
異動の初日に、部署の全員へ挨拶して回った。
On my first day after the transfer, I went around greeting everyone in the department.
Origin
Both 挨 and 拶 are characters meaning to push or press. In Zen this was called ichiai issatsu (一挨一拶), referring to monks exchanging questions and answers to test the depth of each other's enlightenment. The word, used by Zen monks in the medieval period, gradually spread into general use and came to mean everyday exchanges and words of courtesy.