noun
interval between waves; gap between waves
Refers to the space or time between successive waves, often used in nautical or poetic contexts.
波間から太陽が顔を出した。
The sun peeked out from between the waves.
サーファーは波間で次の波を待っている。
The surfer is waiting for the next wave in the gap between waves.
Compound of 波 (nami, 'wave') and 間 (ma, 'interval, space'). The reading なみあい is a less common variant using the rendaku form of 間, and はかん is the on'yomi reading, rarely used.