also: みなわ
foam; bubbles
Literal meaning: foam or bubbles on the surface of water. Used in descriptive or scientific contexts.
Foam was floating on the river current.
coming to nothing; ending in failure
Idiomatic use, almost always in the set phrase 水泡に帰する (come to nothing, end in vain). The image is of plans or efforts vanishing like bubbles.
See also: 水泡に帰する (すいほうにきする)
Years of effort came to nothing.
Years of effort came to nothing.
Rare variant kanji; 沫 also means 'bubble' or 'foam' but is much less common than 泡.
Rare native Japanese reading; mainly found in classical or literary contexts.