tsundoku (積読)

 Tsundoku (積読) is a Japanese term that refers to the act of acquiring books and letting them pile up—sometimes unread. The word combines three elements: 積 (tsumu, “to pile up”), 読 (doku, “to read”), and the nominalizing suffix -oku (“to do”). Literally, it means “piling up reading.”

The concept dates back to the Meiji era (late 19th century) and originally described students who bought reading material but never got around to studying it. Over time, tsundoku came to capture a familiar modern condition: surrounding oneself with unread books as a reflection of curiosity, aspiration, or even comfort. It’s not considered shameful in Japanese culture; instead, it carries a tone of gentle self-awareness—an acknowledgment of the endless desire to learn.

Philosophically, tsundoku can represent potential knowledge: a personal library not of what one has mastered, but of what one wishes to explore. The presence of unread books reminds us that learning is a lifelong journey and that curiosity itself is valuable, even when unfulfilled.