浮き輪

Japanese

浮き輪 (ukiwa): a lifebuoy for emergency use.
浮き輪 (ukiwa): a child's swim ring for play use.
Kanji in this term
う(き)
Grade: S

Grade: 4
kun’yomi
Alternative spelling
浮輪

Etymology

Compound of 浮き (uki, floating, the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, continuative or stem form) of verb 浮く (uku, to float)) + (wa, ring).[1][2][3]

Pronunciation

  • (Tokyo) きわ [ùkíwá] (Heiban – [0])[3]
  • IPA(key): [ɯ̟ᵝkʲiɰᵝa̠]

Noun

()() (ukiwa) 

  1. a life-buoy, a life ring, a ring buoy
  2. a swim ring
    • 1991 March 15, Takahashi, Rumiko, “PART(パート).() (みず)(なか)(こん)(じょう) [Part 5: Spirit in the Water]”, in らんま½ [Ranma ½], volume 14 (fiction), Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN, page 84:
      おい…ウキワでもダメなのか…⁉(おい… ウキワでもダメなのか…⁉)
      Oi… Ukiwa de mo dame na no ka…⁉
      Hey… You can’t float even with a swim ring…!?

Usage notes

The term 浮袋 (ukibukuro, literally float bag) might be more commonly used in reference to a life-saving emergency flotation device.

References

  1. 1988, 国語大辞典(新装版) (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
  2. 1995, 大辞泉 (Daijisen) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  3. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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