Japanese word

波

Pronunciation

Romajinami

Meaning

  • nounwave

Example

子どもたちは波で遊びました。ko do mo ta chi wa nami de aso bi ma shi ta

The children played in the waves.

Illustration for 波 (wave)

More examples

海で波を見ながら、貝を拾いました。umi de nami o mi na ga ra kai o hiro i ma shi ta

At the beach, I picked up shells while watching the waves.

Core concept

It describes a raised and lowered movement that spreads across the surface of water.

Common phrases

  • 波に乗るnami ni no ru

    ride a wave

  • 波が高いnami ga taka i

    high waves

  • 波の音nami no oto

    sound of waves

Similar words

さざ波sazanami: Small, gentle waves that form a fine pattern on the surface of water.
うねりuneri: A large, smooth movement of water that rises and falls over a wide area.

Definition in Japanese

風などによって水面に起こり、広がりながら上下する水の動き。kaze na do ni yo tte sui men ni o ko ri hiro ga ri na ga ra jō ge su ru mizu no ugo ki

Word origin

波 (nami, "wave") is a native Japanese word, not a compound or loanword, and its origin is not securely explained by smaller modern Japanese words.

Usage tips

  • In English, wave also means a hand movement used as a greeting, but 波 (nami) in this sense refers to movement on water.

Word lists with this word