土砂降り

Japanese
Kanji in this term
土 砂 降
ど
Grade: 1		 しゃ
Grade: 6		 ふ > ぶ
Grade: 6
kan’yōon goon kun’yomi
Alternative spellings
どしゃ降り
土砂降

Etymology

Compound of 土砂 (dosha, “soil and sand”) +‎ 降り (furi, “falling”, the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 降る furu, “to fall”, such as rain or other precipitation).[1][2] The furi changes to buri as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

According to some sources,[3] the dosha portion is from adverb どしゃくしゃ (doshakusha, “in a confusion, in a turmoil”), with the 土砂 spelling used as ateji (当て字). According to other sources,[1] the dosha portion is a metaphor for heavy rain.

First appears in texts from the early 1900s.[1]

Compare the English expressions to rain cats and dogs, or to rain pitchforks and hammer handles.

Pronunciation

Noun

土(ど)砂(しゃ)降(ぶ)り • (doshaburi) 

  1. a downpour, pelting rain

Usage notes

Unlike the synonyms, doshaburi is only used in reference to rain, and is not used to describe snowfall.

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. 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →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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