逆さか波なみ

also: ぎゃくろう · げきろう

さ

か

な

み

Meanings

choppy seas; head sea

Refers to waves moving against the direction of a vessel or current; a nautical term for rough, opposing water conditions.

船ふねは逆さか波なみに悩なやまされながら進すすんだ。
The ship advanced while being troubled by head seas.
逆さか波なみが高たかく、釣つりは難むずかしかった。
The head sea was high, making fishing difficult.

Kanji

逆inverted, reverse, opposite
波waves, billows, Poland
浪wandering, waves, billows

Related words

向むかい波なみ
向かい波 also means 'head sea' or 'oncoming waves' but is more common in everyday speech. 逆波 is more technical and literary.
荒あら波なみ
荒波 means 'rough seas' in general, without the specific nuance of waves opposing the vessel's course.

Built from

逆さか+波なみ

Written forms

逆さか波なみUsage100%
Standard kanji spelling for the common reading さかなみ.
逆浪
- さかなみ
  Alternate kanji spelling; also used for the readings ぎゃくろう and げきろう.
- ぎゃくろう
  Rare on'yomi reading of 逆浪.
- げきろう
  Rare on'yomi reading of 逆浪.
げきろう
ぎゃくろう

Etymology

Compound of 逆 (saka, 'opposite, reverse') and 波 (nami, 'wave'). The on'yomi readings ぎゃくろう and げきろう are Sino-Japanese compounds of the same characters.