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海の藻屑となる (うみのもくずとなる) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

海うみの藻も屑くずとなる

Meanings

1

expression, godan verb (-ru)

drown at sea; perish in the ocean

Literary or dramatic expression for dying by drowning in the sea, often with a nuance of becoming nothing more than sea debris.

船ふねが沈しずみ、乗のり組くみ員いんは皆みな、海うみの藻も屑くずとなった。
The ship sank, and all the crew members drowned at sea.
彼かれは嵐あらしの中なかで

海うみ

の

藻も

屑くず

と

なる

運うん

命めい

に

あっ

た

。

He was fated to perish in the ocean during the storm.

Written forms

海うみの藻も屑くずとなる
Standard kanji spelling for this fixed expression.
海うみの藻もくずとなる
Variant with 藻くず instead of 藻屑; both are used.

Kanji

海sea, ocean
藻seaweed, duckweed
屑rubbish, junk, trash

Similar words

水すい死し
水死 is a neutral, factual term for death by drowning, while 海の藻屑となる is a literary, figurative expression specifically for drowning at sea.
溺でき死し
溺死 is a general medical/legal term for drowning, not limited to the sea and without the poetic nuance of becoming sea debris.

Etymology

Literally 'to become sea debris (藻屑)'. 藻屑 refers to fragments of seaweed and other floating matter, symbolizing a meaningless death at sea. The expression is a fixed phrase with a classical, literary feel.