梅雨

Chinese

plum flower rain
simp. and trad.
(梅雨)		 梅 雨
alt. forms 霉雨
Literally: “plum rain”.

Etymology

Refers to the plums ripening during this rainy season.

Pronunciation

Noun

梅雨

  1. East Asian rainy season

Japanese

Kanji in this term
梅 雨
Grade: 4 Grade: 1
Irregular

Etymology 1

Unclear. Likely theories include:

  • May be cognate with Old Japanese-derived noun 露 (tsuyu, “dew, dewdrop”), from the way the rainy season causes everything to be covered in drops that may look like dew. However, the pitch accent differs, as 露 has patterns 1 or 2, while 梅雨 has pattern 0.
  • Alternatively, may be cognate with Old Japanese-derived verb 熟ゆ (tsuyu, “to become ripe”, obsolete, replaced by modern form 熟える tsueru), as plums ripen during the rainy season. In light of the pitch accent, this derivation appears more likely.

Pronunciation

Noun

梅雨 (hiragana つゆ, rōmaji tsuyu)

  1. East Asian rainy season

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
梅 雨
ばい
Grade: 4		 う
Grade: 1
on’yomi

From Middle Chinese compound 梅雨 (literally “plum + rain”), in poetic reference to the season when plums grow.[3][1]

Alternatively, the 黴雨 spelling may have been the original spelling. This is homophonous in Middle Chinese, and literally means mold + rain, in reference to how moldy things get during this season of constant humidity.[3][1]

Pronunciation

Alternative forms

  • 黴雨

Noun

梅雨 (hiragana ばいう, rōmaji baiu)

  1. East Asian rainy season

References

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

Korean

Hanja in this term
梅雨

Noun

梅雨 • (mae-u) (hangeul 매우)

  1. Hanja form? of 매우 (“East Asian rainy season”).

Synonyms

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