'Taisetsu' - what does this mean?

[Tim Mailloux]

One of my friends just named her new puppy 'Taisetsu'. She has informed me that the name means 'heavy snow'. But looking through some of my japanese to english dictionarys I cannot find this word. Even when I break it down into two different words 'Tai' & 'setsu' I do not come up with anything close to meaning heavy snow.

Any idea?

[Saburo]

Taisetsu heavy snow　uses the on(Chinese) readings of the characters for big and snow.

[Karasu Maru]

Taisetu is written 大雪 in Japanese.
"大雪" is usually pronounced "おおゆきooyuki" or "だいせつdaisetsu".
And it might be read, "たいせつtaisetsu".


http://www.daisetsuzan.or.jp/

http://www2.alc.co.jp/ejr/index.php?word_in=%91%E5%90%E1&word_in2=%82%A0%82%A2%82%A4%82%A6%82%A8&word_in3=PVawEWi72JXCKoa0Je

[P Goldsbury]

I typed the word taisetsu and the computer came up with the following two responses: 大切　大雪

The first word means important and the second means heavy snow, though we usually hear ooyuki on the weather forecast, especially at this time of the year.

So perhaps the name was a pun.

[Saburo]

Maybe it was a calendar reference. :-)