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Mottainai (もったいない, 勿体無い) is a Japanese term meaning “a sense of regret concerning waste when the intrinsic value of an object or resource is not properly utilized.” The expression “Mottainai!” can be uttered alone as an exclamation when something useful, such as food or time, is wasted. In addition to its primary sense of “wasteful,” the word is also used to mean “impious; irreverent” or “more than one deserves.”
In ancient Japanese, “mottainai” had various meanings, including a sense of gratitude mixed with shame for receiving greater favor from a superior than is properly merited by one’s station in life.
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