romantic rumor; scandalous talk; love-affair gossip
Only when written 浮き名 / 浮名
Refers to rumors or public talk about someone's romantic involvement, often with a scandalous or titillating nuance. Commonly used in phrases like 浮き名を流す (to be the subject of romantic gossip).
彼は女優との浮き名を流している。
He is the subject of romantic rumors with an actress.
あの政治家
bad reputation; ill fame
Archaic sense referring to a generally bad reputation, not limited to romantic matters. Rarely used in modern Japanese outside of historical or literary contexts.
古文書には、彼の憂き名が記されている。
His bad reputation is recorded in the ancient documents.
That politician often caused scandalous talk about his love life when he was young.
スキャンダル is a broader loanword for scandal, often involving public figures and serious misconduct, whereas 浮き名 is lighter and focused on love affairs.
Standard kanji spelling for the modern sense of a romantic rumor or scandal.
Variant spelling; less common but still encountered.
Archaic spelling associated with the older sense of a bad reputation.
Historically associated with 憂き名, literally a distressing or unwelcome reputation. The spelling 浮き名 became established especially for rumors or notoriety arising from a love affair.