水みず玉たま

み

ず

た

ま

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

drop of water

Refers to a single droplet of water, often in a poetic or descriptive context.

葉はっぱの上うえに水みず玉たまがきらきら光ひかっている。
A drop of water is sparkling on the leaf.

2

noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

abbreviation

Abbreviation of 水玉模様. Commonly used as a noun or with の to describe a polka-dot pattern.

See also: 水玉模様 (みずたまもよう)

彼かの女じょは水みず玉たまのワンピースを着きている。
She is wearing a polka-dot dress.

See all 10 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉に水みず玉たまができるfor a droplet of water to form on something
窓まどガラスに水みず玉たまができている。
Droplets of water have formed on the window glass.
水みず玉たまの〈物もの〉a polka-dotted (item)
彼かの女じょは水みず玉たまのワンピースを着きていた。
She was wearing a polka-dot dress.

Kanji

水water
玉jewel, ball

Related words

水すい滴てきN2sense 1
水滴 is a more formal, technical term for a water droplet, while 水玉 has a softer, more poetic or visual nuance.
斑はん点てん sense 2
斑点 is a general word for spots or blotches of any shape or color, whereas 水玉 specifically means round, evenly-spaced polka dots.
滴しずくN1sense 1
雫 emphasizes a drop trickling or dripping (as from a leaf or faucet), while 水玉 pictures a rounded bead of water sitting on a surface.
水みず玉たま模も様ようN3
水玉模様 is the full, more formal term for a polka-dot pattern, while 水玉 alone is often used colloquially to mean the same design, especially on clothing.

Don't confuse with

水すい滴てきN2
水滴 always means a physical droplet of water, but 水玉 can also refer to a polka-dot pattern, so context decides the meaning.

Counted with

粒つぶN2
grain; bead; drop · counter for small round objects

Word family

水みず玉たま模も様ようN3
polka dot pattern

Built from

水みず+玉たま

Written forms

水みず玉たまUsage94%
Standard kanji spelling for both senses.
ミズタマUsage3%
みずたまUsage3%

Etymology

Compound of 水 (water) and 玉 (ball, bead). The polka-dot sense comes from the resemblance of the pattern to scattered water droplets.