稲妻

Japanese
稲妻 (inazuma): lightning, especially cloud-to-ground lightning.
Kanji in this term
稲 妻
いな
Grade: S		 つま > ずま
Grade: 5
kun’yomi
Alternative spellings
稻妻 (kyūjitai)
電 (rare)

Etymology

Compound of 稲 (ina, “rice plant”, ancient bound-form reading of modern ine) +‎ 妻 (tsuma, “wife, spouse”) or 夫 (tsuma, “husband, spouse”).[1][2][3] The tsuma changes to zuma as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

A belief in ancient times was that rice plants would mate with or otherwise be fertilized by lightning,[1][2][3] a frequent occurrence in the late summer and autumn when rice plants come to fruition.[3]

Pronunciation

Noun

稲(いな)妻(ずま) • (inazuma) ←いなづま (inaduma)?

  1. lightning, a lightning bolt

Synonyms

References
  1. 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
  2. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. 1995, 大辞泉 (Daijisen) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  4. 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN
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