'Pine' and 'Wait' are Both 'Matsu'

Maybe it's just a little bit of fluff 👻 The 'matsu' in pine tree (松) is 'matsu' (まつ). The 'matsu' for 'to wait' (待つ) is also 'matsu' (まつ). In Japan, there's an ancient belief that pine trees are where deities alight when they descend, like the 'kadomatsu' (門松) at New Year's, which signifies welcoming the Toshigami (歳神, deity of the New Year). And since 'pine' (matsu) and 'to wait' (matsu) happen to sound the same, it led to the association of 'waiting for the deity's arrival'. So when you see a pine tree... It might be 'waiting' (待つ). As for who it's waiting for, that remains unknown 👻🌲