A Composition and Essay Instructor's Thoughts on "Maru-hara": What Lies at the End of the "Maru-hara" Frenzy
Last updated: 2024/09/28
What is "Maru-hara" (Period Harassment)?
Much of the criticism directed at "Maru-hara" is a false accusation.
There is hardly anyone who would argue against the claim that all forms of harassment should disappear from this world. However, the difficulty of this issue lies not in the difference of opinion regarding harassment itself, but in the "gap in perception" between the person doing it and the person receiving it. In other words, this phenomenon occurs when the recipient feels harassed in a way the sender never intended, contrary to the sender's expectations. While everyone agrees with the golden rule, "Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you," the difficulty lies in the fact that the sender has no idea their actions are perceived by the other party as something they "would not have done unto them." And often, that "gap" arises from a misalignment in the sender's interpretation of the era or situation, or a lack of consideration or imagination toward the recipient. Therefore, it can only be resolved if the sender recognizes the "gap" that has arisen, exercises their imagination, updates their interpretation of the era and situation, and works to bridge that "gap."
Since around February of this year, the term "Maru-harassment (= Maru-hara)" has suddenly gained traction online, causing a bit of a stir, particularly among the middle-aged and older generations. The opinion, mainly coming from young people, is that when a "。 (period)" is placed at the end of an SNS message, it feels like the sender is angry and it is scary. And because the "。" gives a cold impression, young people think it is desirable to place a "! (exclamation mark)" at the end of a sentence.
I will not question here where the term originated or whether such a thing as "Maru-hara" even exists, but it eventually became a topic in television and newspaper news reports, and comments on online news articles have emerged saying, "If being thought of as harassing just by adding a '。' is the case, then I don't know how to communicate with the younger generation anymore."
However, I noticed many critical comments among them, such as "In Japanese, it is natural to put a '。' at the end of a sentence," "We learn this in first-grade Japanese class. It is very strange to call it harassment like Maru-hara," "Whether young or old, everyone should have learned that '。' is natural in school education," and "Private exchanges are different from business." I became a bit concerned. Are young people being falsely accused? Is it right to unilaterally judge them with "Maru-hara," saying, "Today's young people don't even know proper Japanese and cannot distinguish between public and private matters"?
To conclude, it is not the case that "today's young people don't know 'correct and beautiful Japanese'" nor that "they cannot distinguish between private and business settings." That is an unnecessary worry.
I provide guidance and grading for essays, compositions, and statements of purpose for middle and high school students. I handle about 2,500 to 3,000 written answers a year, and I have never seen a single answer that ends with a "!" instead of a "。." No matter how clumsy the writing is, while there are instances of forgotten periods, I have never seen an answer written like a LINE message with a "!" and phrases like "Totally!" Of course, since they are kids of today, they must communicate with friends in their daily lives using casual expressions, appropriate symbols like "!", emoticons, and stickers on apps like LINE. However, they fully understand and are aware that they "do not use such notations or expressions in 'proper writing submitted to adults,' such as to universities or schools." To get worked up over this and ask, "Didn't you learn this in school?" is completely missing the point. I think it is underestimating young people too much.
However, very rarely, there are written answers that use "!" or "? (question mark)" within conversational text. Since "!" is derived from a ". (period)" and originated (according to one theory) from Greek or Latin, and is not a symbol of Japanese notation in the first place, in those cases, I instruct them "Let's use periods" (while it is not a problem in daily use, it is from the perspective of school education). However, even then, because they do not use it in the main text and only use it in conversational text, it can be said that those answers are able to distinguish between public writing and private conversation. And because that young person is using "!" precisely because the content within the conversational text corresponds to private talk, that judgment itself is appropriate as a Japanese notation method.
Therefore, much of the criticism in the comment sections saying "Today's young people..." is a "false accusation." Since the "young people" who are the target of that criticism do not actually exist, I wondered, who exactly are the people making that criticism complaining to, and about what?
What exactly is "misaligned"?
If "Maru-hara" is harassment, there is no doubt that there is a "gap in perception" between the user and the recipient regarding the "。". The recipient has a perception that was not intended by the person who sent the message using the "。". However, as mentioned above, it is not that young people "don't know correct Japanese" or "cannot distinguish between public and private." Then, I would like to think about what that "gap" is, but it is not that difficult. This is because if you read articles dealing with "Maru-hara" carefully, the answer is already there. Many of those making misguided criticisms must be misreading (or intentionally misleading) what this phenomenon is.
Professor Yasushi Fujii of Meisei University Graduate School, who specializes in psychology, says, "The characteristic of communication apps like LINE is that the talk remains continuously." "If you have grown up on a medium that assumes
communication that has continuity, the inclusion of a period feels like the continuity is abruptly cut off, and the relationship is severed, or you get the feeling that you are being told something strict and serious, and I think you get caught up in that kind of sensation." (Professor Yasushi Fujii, Meisei University Graduate School)
Quoting from the article "Are periods in LINE messages misleading? What is 'Maru-harassment'? Younger generation says: 'It feels cold, angry, detached, or like the conversation is over'" from the internet TV program ABEMA's "ABEMA Prime News Show," Yasushi Fujii suggests that young people perceive interactions on communication apps not as "writing" but as "conversation". In other words, they are assuming an interaction via chat. Furthermore, he believes that the period unintentionally functions as something that mechanically cuts off the continuity of the conversation. Therefore, while many middle-aged and older people who posted off-target critical comments viewed this as a "problem of Japanese writing," we can see here that this is fundamentally a mistake. To them, this is not "writing," but a part of "conversation". Conversation is not something that ends after each person unilaterally makes their point. Conversation is a collaborative effort between two parties who expect it to continue indefinitely, and young people who view it as "conversation" do not expect it to be severed by (the cold impression brought about by) the inorganic symbol of a period.
The following is also a quote from the same article.
Following that discussion, Momona Kohama, an active university student and talent, commented as a representative of the younger generation. Regarding the phrase "Understood." with a period, she expressed her view that "It is perceived as
angry. It feels cold, angry, detached, or like the intention is that the conversation is over. It tends to be perceived a bit negatively." So what is the correct answer? Kohama stated that "Understood!" with an exclamation mark makes the best impression.
The perspective that "this is ultimately a problem of 'conversation'" is also taken here. The following points also emerge.
Also, according to Kohama, modern students "do not type out text." She touched on the change in young people's communication styles, saying, "If we have business, we call immediately. Phone. If there is something we want to talk about, everyone uses the phone. LINE calls."
The fact that they "don't type text but use the phone instead" means that young people believe the roles and functions of writing can be sufficiently fulfilled by a phone call. So, what are the roles and functions of writing expected here? The text says "if we have business." We can read "if we have business..." here as meaning "when I have something that I unilaterally and promptly need to convey, assert, or report to the other party...". This means, conversely, that young people are defining "writing" as exactly that. Here, writing is considered as something opposed to conversation. In other words, compared to "continuous and interactive" conversation, writing is perceived as "unidirectional, discontinuous, and one-off." If we establish that the use of punctuation is a convention of writing based on this premise, it can be said that the period does not go very well with what is considered 'conversation' here.
Also, in another article, there were opinions like this.
A 23-year-old female office worker said, "I understand that periods are a rule to make things easier to read, but it gives the impression of being cut off and shut out. It's hard to continue the conversation." A 21-year-old woman attending a university in Chiba Prefecture expressed her discomfort, saying, "It's hard to tell the tone, and there's no reaction, so it feels scary."
This time, I am quoting from the Sankei Shimbun article, 'Fear of the period at the end of a sentence... "Maru-harassment" felt by young people: How to deal with it in the SNS era,' and I will continue to show that the fact that young people think of the "sentences" they type as SNS messages as "part of a continuous conversation" is also demonstrated here. Furthermore, it is not strange at all to consider the idea that a "period" makes it "difficult to understand the tension and lacks reaction" as a difference in the nature of the symbols. While a "period" is a "grammatical" symbol (something used mechanically according to the rule that it should be attached to the end of a sentence) that simply indicates the end of a sentence, "!" and "?" are "rhetorical" symbols (which can also express emotions at the time, like emoticons) that indicate the end of a sentence while simultaneously showing exclamation or questioning, and because they are "symbols that are more expressive and can be used more freely than a period."
Akiko Takahashi, an IT journalist familiar with young people's SNS usage and a visiting professor at Seikei University, states, "The middle-aged generation is the flip-phone generation and mainly used email, so they tend to have long sentences and many punctuation marks to make them easier to read," and analyzes, "On the other hand, for young people, real-time interaction is the norm, and they engage in chat-like exchanges. Because they send short sentences at the timing when they would type a punctuation mark, they have fewer opportunities to use periods." Furthermore, she points out, "In conversations between young people,
periods are also used to mean that someone is angry. Therefore, young people might feel fear or intimidation from a period at the end of a sentence, which they don't see very often."
Akiko Takahashi captures this phenomenon by comparing the eras and environments in which the middle-aged generation and the younger generation grew up. Here, she points out that as long as it is a "conversation (chat)," young people tend to exchange shorter sentences (sometimes just words) compared to the middle-aged generation. In other words, young people do not construct elaborate, long sentences, but rather exchange "words" in real-time according to the other person's reaction. As I am a respectable middle-aged person, I did not know that "periods are also used to mean that someone is angry" among young people, but as mentioned above, if you think about the difference between "." and "!" or "?", a "." that does not express emotion might have the nuance of "quietly angry."
If we stand on the premise that young people think of the sentences they exchange on SNS as "conversations" rather than "writing," this can also be interpreted as
a "gap" in perception between the two. Next is a quote from a Weekly Playboy article (Shu-Pre NEWS), 'The word "Maru-hara" is born! Is a "." at the end of a LINE message really inappropriate?'
Regarding such discrepancies in communication, Ryosuke Ushiroda, author of 'The Correct Answer to Consideration' (Diamond Inc.) and a business etiquette researcher, analyzes it as follows: "The reason Maru-hara occurs is that the purpose of communication differs between the boss generation and the younger generation. The boss generation's purpose is strictly work progress management. On the other hand, the younger generation focuses more on human relationships than progress, so they worry more than necessary about the other person's reaction, thinking, 'I don't want to be disliked' or 'I don't want to fail.'"
In other words, the boss's side (middle-aged) is not thinking about building human relationships from the start, and views SNS exchanges as business-related tools for checking work progress. In that context, what is sent on SNS is not a "conversation" for the middle-aged, but a "document" like a work instruction. To put it badly, the subordinate's subjective feelings like "I don't want to be disliked" or "I don't want to fail" don't matter, and the boss thinks that instructions should just be followed silently to carry out the work accurately. Here, the boss does not expect two-way communication. A one-sided attitude that does not consider the feelings of the other party (the young person) is visible here, and in this case, there is no room for "emotionally rich symbols" like "!" to appear.
However, if that is the case, is the problem whether or not to add a "maru" (period)?
Summary: Middle-aged people sending "sentences" that follow writing etiquette to young people who have no intention of writing "sentences"
As mentioned above, a "." (period) only has the meaning of "end of a sentence" as a character of the symbol, and has no other meaning. This is because a "maru" is just a symbol with no good or bad meaning.
Even so, if young people feel negative emotions toward the 'period' used by middle-aged or older bosses, it is not that the 'period' itself directly causes unpleasant feelings.Young people feel unpleasant emotions toward communication where middle-aged or older bosses, without considering the other person's circumstances or feelings, mechanically attach a 'period' to 'SNS messages that are not essays'.Furthermore, young people are well aware that it is standard practice to place a 'period' at the end of a sentence when writing, and they do so when writing essays. Most 'middle-aged people (presumably those criticizing online)' unilaterally express anger or confusion, saying things like, 'Young people today say they are afraid of the period. Did they not learn Japanese at school?' or 'If putting a period at the end of a sentence is harassment, how am I supposed to interact with young people?' However, as I have shown above, most of this is a misinterpretation stemming from a lack of reading comprehension.
Simply put, whether or not one views SNS messages, typified by LINE, as 'essays' is the content of the 'gap' here. Middle-aged people viewed them as 'essays'. However, young people do not view them as 'essays' because they are part of a 'conversation'. And since the young side 'does not think of it as an essay,' even if middle-aged people put on a straight face and add a 'period' saying 'this is how writing etiquette should be,' the young person receiving it will only feel a sense of discomfort.
Also, it can be said that the essence of the 'gap' here lies beyond such discomfort. To conclude, isn't its essence a simple lack of understanding of the other party due to miscommunication between the two generations, which has been common in every era until now? Therefore, 'whether or not to add a period' is not the issue. For the media, it might have been perfect 'fodder' to sensationalize by calling it the novel name 'Maru-hara' and claiming 'young people today are strange and incomprehensible,' but it is merely one of the generational gaps that exist in every era. At the very least, that is what I thought.
<Sources and References>
'Dictionary of Punctuation Usage'
1st Edition, 2nd Printing (Published February 1, 1981)
Published by Eiko Publishing, Edited by Masatoshi Orui
Using a period '。' on LINE invites misunderstanding... What is 'Maru-harassment'? Younger generation: 'It feels cold, angry, detached, or perhaps it means the conversation is over' (ABEMA Prime News Show) ABEMA TIMES, delivered 2024/2/2, 7:03
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/2883ea7ff061af155f6491339a42cb75f8648092 (Link broken)
Fear of the period at the end of a sentence... 'Maru-harassment' felt by young people. How to deal with it in the SNS era
Sachiko Murata, Sankei Shimbun, delivered 2024/2/6, 16:37
The term 'Maru-hara' is born! Is a '。' at the end of a LINE message really inappropriate?
Shu-Pure NEWS, delivered 2024/2/22, 6:30
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ee0714712c4e2d90e3939cefbdc2ba98041a47cc (Link broken)
For more on the origin and spread of 'Maru-hara,' see here. Regarding the media-led 'Maru-hara frenzy,' I am conducting social research with Professor Asako Miura of the Graduate School of Human Sciences at Osaka University, not on the premise that 'it exists,' but first exploring the possibility of its non-existence: 'Are young people really feeling Maru-hara?.' Here, she states, '“While it is not a non-existent phenomenon that people feel intimidated by punctuation, those who say it happens often are few, and equating punctuation with 'Maru-harassment' might be going too far”.' She adds, '“I feel that many people over 30 get worked up asking 'Do young people hate punctuation?', but it is important to note that this is strictly about 'LINE and chat' and does not mean they feel everything with punctuation is intimidating”.'
When and where was Maru-hara born?
Fujio Toriumi (Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo) Delivered 3/11/2024 9:15
However, despite Professor Toriumi's warnings, the image that 'young people are mysterious beings who fear the period' seems to have already become common knowledge.
Koichi Domoto confused by 'Maru-hara' felt by young people: 'Being told that is harassment itself'
Sponichi Annex Delivered 3/19/2024 12:00
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/a98eced6f8e22031c4cc95ac98043834e00c7503 (Link broken)
A listener sent a message about 'Maru-harassment,' where adding a period '。' at the end of a sentence makes it feel like the person is angry. To this, Koichi expressed discomfort, saying, 'If I were told it was Maru-hara for adding a period, I would conversely think, being told that is harassment. That way is more proper anyway.'
Young people naturally understand that 'that way is more proper.' It is not that young people hate the 'period' in everything. An example showing that misguided criticism is no longer limited to online news comments. However, since this is a comment on a radio broadcast, Mr. Domoto might just be 'playing along' with the listener as entertainment.
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