also: まきぐも
cirrus cloud
A high-altitude, wispy cloud made of ice crystals. Used in meteorological contexts.
空に巻雲が広がっている。
Cirrus clouds are spreading across the sky.
Stratus clouds, which form in uniform layers, contrasting with the feathery cirrus.
Standard kanji form for cirrus clouds, using the on-reading けんうん.
Rare variant; 絹 means 'silk', referring to the cloud's wispy appearance.
Alternate form using the kun-reading まきぐも; less common in technical contexts.
From 巻 (けん, 'roll' or 'curl') + 雲 (うん, 'cloud'), describing the curled, wispy appearance of cirrus clouds.