passing shower; sudden rain
A brief, often intense shower that starts and stops suddenly. Common in literary and poetic contexts.
After the passing shower moved through, a rainbow appeared in the sky.
In the afternoon, passing showers came and went repeatedly.
Most common kanji spelling, though the kanji are ateji (phonetic).
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the ateji kanji are not needed.
Uncommon variant; 叢 means 'cluster' or 'thicket', suggesting a sudden downpour.
Rare variant; 群 means 'group', evoking a clustered shower.
From むら, indicating intermittent or uneven occurrence, and 雨 “rain.” The spelling 村雨 represents this native compound and evokes a shower that falls in scattered bursts.