8

I'm trying to translate a song lyric that says

今日という日は 過去 前例のない
僕たちの誓い日和だよ

And I get a dictionary result at Jisho for 今日という日 as something like every day; all day but that doesn't make any sense to me. I can't muddle thru it on my own and I'm hoping someone here can explain was this phrase means. The best I got is "today like every day" but my Japanese isn't very good.

Improve this question
0

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
18

今日という日 (literally "the day called today") is just an emphatic version of "today", or "this very day". This expression is commonly used in formal greetings and poems. (I tried jisho.org but got nothing related to "everyday". How did you come up with "everyday"?)

Improve this answer
6

Remember that ...という (...と言う) means "That which is called...", because it's a useful phrase. Examples: 愛という光 (the Light called Love), 笑顔という幸せ (the happiness which is called a smile). The original phrase you provided is 今日という日 (the day which is called today).

Improve this answer
0
2

As explained in other answers, XというY is a construction meaning the Y which is called X. 過去前例｛かこぜんれい｝ means past precedent, so 今日｛きょう｝という日｛ひ｝は過去前例｛かこぜんれい｝のない means roughly The day called "today" is without precedent, or The day called "today" has never come before.

僕{ぼく}たちの誓{ちか}い日和｛ひより｝だよ is poetic, and kind of awkward to translate, but I'd translate it as It is the season of our promise, though 日和｛ひより｝ more accurately translates as weather.

Improve this answer
2
  • 2
    過去前例のない is a relative clause, so you can't translate it as though it's a main clause predicate.
    – user1478
    Dec 26, 2018 at 14:33
  • Even though the grammar isn't translated exactly, I feel that this translation still expresses the original meaning quite precisely and flows more naturally than a direct translation.
    – Peter Bradshaw
    Dec 27, 2018 at 9:31

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .