fleeting life; transient world; floating world
Buddhist-influenced term for the impermanent, ever-changing world of human existence. Often associated with the Edo-period pleasure-seeking culture (ukiyo-e, etc.).
浮世の義理はつらいものだ。
The obligations of this fleeting world are hard to bear.
浮世
Ukiyo-e depict the floating world of the Edo period.
sad world; world of grief and worry
Only when written 憂き世
Emphasizes the sorrowful aspect of life; often written 憂き世. More literary and less common in modern speech.
憂き世のならいとはいえ、つらいことばかりだ。
Though it's the way of this sad world, it's nothing but hardship.
this world; the world of the living; present life
Refers to the mundane, everyday world as opposed to the afterlife or a spiritual realm. Often used in contrast with あの世.
浮世に未練はない。
I have no lingering attachment to this world.
浮世とあの世の境目。
The boundary between this world and the next.
red-light districts; pleasure quarters
Specifically refers to the entertainment and brothel districts of the Edo period, a subset of the broader 'floating world' concept.
吉原は江戸随一の浮世だった。
Yoshiwara was Edo's foremost pleasure quarter.
この世 is the common, everyday word for 'this world', whereas 浮世 is more literary and emphasizes the fleeting nature of existence.
ukiyo-e; Edo-period woodblock print
ukiyo-e artist
ukiyo-zōshi; Edo-period genre of literature depicting everyday life of the merchant class
otherworldliness; detachment from the real world; lack of worldly sense
Standard modern spelling for the 'floating world' and related senses. High-frequency in news contexts.
Variant with okurigana; less common but still encountered.
Specifically used for the 'sad world' sense, emphasizing grief and worry.
Originally a Buddhist term (憂き世) meaning 'world of suffering', later reinterpreted as 浮世 ('floating world') with a more hedonistic connotation during the Edo period. The reading うきよ is from 憂き (sad) + 世 (world).