also: ほうまつ · うたがた
noun
Refers to a bubble on the surface of a liquid. The reading うたかた is literary/poetic; ほうまつ is technical.
水面にうたかたが浮かんでいる。
Bubbles are floating on the water's surface.
石鹸の泡沫がすぐ消えた。
The soap bubbles disappeared quickly.
noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', noun
ephemeral; transient; fleeting
Metaphorical use emphasizing the fleeting nature of something, like bubbles that quickly vanish. Often used in literary or poetic contexts.
人生はうたかたの夢のようなものだ。
Life is like a fleeting dream.
彼の成功は泡沫のごとく消え去った。
His success vanished like a bubble.
Kana spelling is common in literary and poetic usage, and avoids confusion with the ほうまつ reading.
Archaic or dialectal variant of うたかた; not commonly used in modern standard Japanese.
The reading うたかた is of uncertain origin, possibly from うた (song) + かた (shape), but this is speculative. The kanji 泡沫 literally mean 'bubble' and 'foam', and the reading ほうまつ is the on'yomi.