Writing as Art, Literally!

This is something I always found amazing. Right now, I am taking Japanese 101 and have discovered something very cool.

The Japanese verb for "to write" (i.e to write a letter) is the same verb that they use to indicate that an artist is "painting or drawing" art. There is no difference. I absolutely love that.

For me, it indicates how the Japanese culture equates writing with drawing, how writing is actually the act of an artist. This is something that can be plainly seen when you look at their writing system--hiragana, katana, kanji--they are all written with particular stroke orders, stops and hooks and, in my opinion, are very beautiful. When I am writing in hiragana, katakana and especially in kanji, I do get the sense that writing, for the Japanese, is, quite literally, art!!