浮うき草くさ

う

き

く

さ

Meanings

floating weed; duckweed

General term for small aquatic plants that float on the water surface, often used metaphorically for a rootless or drifting life.

greater duckweed; Spirodela polyrhiza

usually written using kana alone

Specifically refers to the species Spirodela polyrhiza; usually written in kana in biological contexts.

noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

Metaphorical use describing a life or situation that is rootless, unsettled, or easily swayed, like a floating weed.

水みず草くさ
水草 is a broader term for aquatic plants in general, while 浮き草 specifically refers to floating plants or duckweed.
浮うき雲ぐも
浮き雲 means 'drifting cloud' and shares the metaphorical sense of something transient or unsettled, but 浮き草 emphasizes rootlessness.

浮うき草くさUsage30%
Standard kanji spelling for the plant and the metaphorical sense.
浮うき草くさUsage52%
Variant kanji spelling; less common than 浮き草.
萍うきくさUsage11%
Rare single-kanji form; mostly encountered in literary or classical contexts.
ウキクサUsage7%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is common for the plant name, especially in biological contexts.
浮うき萍くさ
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; not recommended for learners.

Compound of 浮き (uki, 'floating') + 草 (kusa, 'grass, plant'). The metaphorical sense derives from the image of a plant drifting without roots.