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浮かばれない (うかばれない) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
i-adjective
turning in one's grave ; unable to rest in peace
Idiomatic expression used when the dead would be distressed or unable to find peace because of something happening among the living. Often used in the phrase 浮かばれないだろう or 浮かばれない思い.
ねん
を
思おも
う
と
、
浮う
かば
れ
ない
気き
持も
ち
で
いっぱい
だ
。
Thinking of his regret, I'm filled with the feeling that he cannot rest in peace.
Kanji 浮 floating, float, rise to surface Similar words 成じょう 仏ぶつ できない More directly refers to a spirit unable to attain Buddhahood or find peace in a religious sense, while 浮かばれない is a broader, more figurative expression for the dead being unable to rest due to unresolved matters or injustice.
Etymology Derived from the negative potential form of 浮かぶ (to float), literally meaning 'cannot float'. Idiomatically, it refers to a spirit that cannot rise to peace or salvation, hence 'unable to rest in peace'.