romantic rumor; scandalous talk; love-affair gossip
Only when written 浮き名 / 浮名
Refers to rumors or public talk about someone's romantic involvement, often with a scandalous or titillating nuance. Commonly used in phrases like 浮き名を流す (to be the subject of romantic gossip).
He is the subject of romantic rumors with an actress.
bad reputation; ill fame
Archaic sense referring to a generally bad reputation, not limited to romantic matters. Rarely used in modern Japanese outside of historical or literary contexts.
That politician often caused scandalous talk about his love life when he was young.
His bad reputation is recorded in the ancient documents.
Standard kanji spelling for the modern sense of a romantic rumor or scandal.
Variant spelling; less common but still encountered.
Archaic spelling associated with the older sense of a bad reputation.
Historically associated with 憂き名, literally a distressing or unwelcome reputation. The spelling 浮き名 became established especially for rumors or notoriety arising from a love affair.