also: なごり · なごろ
lingering waves; swell after wind subsides
Literal maritime sense: waves that continue after the wind has died down. Rare in everyday conversation; mostly found in nautical or literary contexts.
Even after the typhoon passed, the sea was still rough with lingering waves.
aftermath; after-effect; repercussions
Only with reading よは
Figurative use: the indirect consequences or lingering effects of an event, often negative. Common in news and formal writing.
The aftermath of the financial crisis is still spreading around the world.
In the aftermath of the scandal, the company's stock price plummeted.
The trains were suspended due to the aftermath of the typhoon.
Many companies went bankrupt as a result of the recession's repercussions.
The repercussions of the incident even reached the neighboring country.
波紋 describes the spreading ripples of reaction an event causes, whereas 余波 focuses on the residual impact felt afterward.
あおり is a colloquial way to say one got caught up in someone else's trouble, while 余波 is the more formal, written-style term for such secondary effects.
Standard kanji spelling for both the literal wave sense and the figurative aftermath sense.
Rare kana spelling for the literal wave sense; the reading なごり is more commonly associated with 名残 (remnants, vestiges).
Obsolete kana spelling for the literal wave sense.
Compound of 余 (leftover, remaining) and 波 (wave). The figurative sense developed from the literal image of waves persisting after a storm.