Nami no Hana (波の花)

Feb 27, 2019 19:52
Nami no Hana

Today, I would like to introduce the term 'nami no hana' (波の花), which even Japanese people do not use frequently.

'Nami' (波) means "(sea) wave," and 'hana' (花) means "flower," but can you imagine what the combination 'nami no hana' (literally means "flowers of waves") means?

There are two answers.

One is simple -- it means sea waves with white foam.

The sea foam is regarded as flowers or ears of rice.

The other is "salt," which is made from seawater.

In the past, since the word 'shio' (塩 - "salt") could be misunderstood as 'shi wo' (死を - "death to you"), court ladies used 'nami no hana' instead of 'shio'.
波の花

今日は、日本人も普段あまり使わない「波の花」という言葉を紹介します。

「波」は "(sea) wave"、「花」は "flower" を意味しますが、これらを組み合わせた「波の花」が何を意味するか想像できるでしょうか?

正解は二つあります。

一つは単純で、白く泡立った海の波のことです。

白く泡立った波を、花(穂)に見立てているわけです。

もう一つは、海水から作られる「塩」です。

かつて、「塩」という文字は「死を」を連想させることから、これを忌み嫌い、「塩」の隠語として「波の花」が使われていたようです。
No. 1 Amop567's correction
  • Nami no Hana (波の花)
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Nami no Hana
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Today, I would like to introduce the term 'nami no hana' (波の花), which even Japanese people do not use frequently.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • 'Nami' (波) means "(sea) wave," and 'hana' (花) means "flower," but can you imagine what the combination 'nami no hana' (literally means "flowers of waves") means?
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • There are two answers.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • One is simple -- it means sea waves with white foam.
  • One is simple -- (it means) sea waves with white foam.
  • The sea foam is regarded as flowers or ears of rice.
  • The sea foam is seen as flowers or ears of rice.
     alternative
  • The other is "salt," which is made from seawater.
  • The other is "sea salt".
  • In the past, since the word 'shio' (塩 - "salt") could be misunderstood as 'shi wo' (死を - "death to you"), court ladies used 'nami no hana' instead of 'shio'.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
I see. Sounds like a very elegant phrase ^^
Toru
Thank you so much for the correction! :)
Yes, perhaps only elegant women use this term.
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