also: しょうふう
wind blowing through pine trees; sound of wind in the pines
Evokes a classic Japanese aesthetic scene; often appears in poetry, literature, and traditional arts. The sound is considered soothing and elegant.
I drank tea on the veranda while listening to the sound of the wind in the pines.
sound of steam whistling in a tea ceremony kettle
Only with reading まつかぜ
Specific to the tea ceremony; the gentle whistling of the kettle is poetically likened to wind in pine trees. Used only with the reading まつかぜ.
The sound of the kettle's 'matsukaze' filled the tea room, and a quiet moment passed.
matsukaze (sugar-glazed cookie with sesame or poppy seeds)
Only with reading まつかぜ
A traditional Japanese sweet named after the poetic sound. The cookie is typically rectangular, glazed, and sprinkled with sesame or poppy seeds. Reading is まつかぜ.
I bought some matsukaze cookies at a long-established shop in Kyoto.
Standard kanji spelling for the reading まつかぜ. Also read しょうふう, but that reading is less common in modern Japanese.
Sino-Japanese reading, mostly found in classical or literary contexts. It has high priority, but まつかぜ is the dominant modern reading.
Literally 'pine wind'. The word combines 松 (pine) and 風 (wind). The tea ceremony and confectionery senses are metaphorical extensions of the natural sound.