also: ほうまつ · うたがた
noun
Refers to a bubble on the surface of a liquid. The reading うたかた is literary/poetic; ほうまつ is technical.
水面にうたかたが浮かんでいる。
Bubbles are floating on the water's surface.
石鹸の泡沫がすぐ消えた。
The soap bubbles disappeared quickly.
noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', noun
Metaphorical use emphasizing the fleeting nature of something, like bubbles that quickly vanish. Often used in literary or poetic contexts.
人生はうたかたの夢のようなものだ。
Life is like a fleeting dream.
彼の成功は泡沫のごとく消え去った。
His success vanished like a bubble.
Kana spelling is common in literary and poetic usage, and avoids confusion with the ほうまつ reading.
Archaic or dialectal variant of うたかた; not commonly used in modern standard Japanese.
The reading うたかた is of uncertain origin, possibly from うた (song) + かた (shape), but this is speculative. The kanji 泡沫 literally mean 'bubble' and 'foam', and the reading ほうまつ is the on'yomi.