Silence in Japanese Culture

Silence in Japanese culture is connected with the inner self, Kokoro, denoting the heart, mind, emotions, sincere feelings. Since Japanese culture implies that speech is potentially deceiving and false, true honesty cannot be expressed in words, and silence is a witness to the real kokoro ^[4] . Thus, a laconic person in Japan can be considered sincere and honest, and therefore trust more than a talkative person. ^[2]

Japanese culture pays great attention to social harmony. In Japanese culture, there is an unwritten taboo on the expression of strong emotions ^[1] . Silence may be a sign that the interlocutor is avoiding confrontation, the interlocutor may decide not to insist on his point of view, but simply to shut up ^[5] . Thus, a long pause may indicate the desire of the interlocutor to change the topic of conversation. In Japanese culture, this can be caused by enre-sassi, which roughly indicates restraint, especially in the expression of conjecture ^[2] . Silence can often be a sign that a person took a “pause” to ponder what the interlocutor or negotiating partner said before expressing their point of view ^[6] Often, such pauses make the other party nervous and offer additional concessions. Nevertheless, according to Japanese culturologists, silence is a vivid example of the indirectness of Japanese culture ^[6] At the same time, the Japanese try not to be silent in communication with strangers so as not to seem tactless, however, in comparison with people of Western culture, they consider it acceptable and normal silence in communication with close friends ^[7] . In this context, silence can be considered a tribute to a new friend. Japanese silence can be partially explained by the importance of Buddhism in Japanese culture, the ultimate goal of which is often defined as inner emptiness and silence ^[8]

A prolonged silence that abruptly interrupts the conversation may be a sign of embarrassment and discomfort. Interestingly, even husband and wife can express their embarrassment in silence, especially when they are undressed or in an unusually intimate atmosphere. ^[2]

Silence may be a sign of disapproval, indicating that the interlocutor demonstratively does not listen to you. Silence can be a sign of mokusatsu (黙 殺) (kill by silence), which roughly corresponds to the expression "ignore" ^[9] . Thus, silence can often be a signal of passive aggression. Compared with representatives of Western culture, most Japanese people believe that action is more important than words, and an important means of demonstrating their intentions, while Western respondents more often consider words as an equally important means of communication ^[10]

Silence can express intuitive understanding between the interlocutors, the harage ^[11] . Japanese culture is highly contextual ^[12] , which means that the duration and timeliness of pauses and silence can have a number of meanings ^[13] . The high context of culture is indicated by the expression haragei, which means hidden mutual understanding, as if telepathically occurring communication between close people. The art of listening and understanding is very important in Japanese culture, in contrast to oratory ^[8] Just as Westerners "read between the lines" focusing on words, the Japanese focus on pauses in speech. ^[14] . Silence can be a communicative tool that expresses many intentions and feelings ^[15] .

Japanese, learning foreign languages, such as English, are often silent, which often causes the insecurity of foreign teachers in the abilities of their students ^[16] . In classes where teachers increase students' self-confidence and encourage communication in foreign languages, even with errors, there are fewer problems with silence, such classes are more successful ^[16] . In the case of teaching teachers the basics of Japanese culture and explaining the reasons for the silence of their students, the effectiveness of teaching also increases ^[17] . For example, it is worthwhile to understand that Japanese students really recognize themselves as the most silent students in the class, but the most common reason for silence is the fear of incorrectly saying a phrase in a foreign language and thus “losing face” ^[18] . On the other hand, many students also consider it tactless to show their superiority over others in the class, and are also silent during the lessons ^[18]

A number of researchers believe that the importance of "the Japanese culture of silence is more a myth than reality" ^[5] , which arose largely due to the evasive manner of communication of the Japanese.