rumor; hearsay; word on the street
Idiomatic expression for unverified information passed around informally, like 'through the grapevine'. Often used with verbs like 聞く or で.
See also: 風の便り (かぜのたより)
I only heard through the grapevine that he's changing jobs.
風の噂によると、あの店は来月閉まるらしい。
Rumor has it that shop is closing next month.
Standard kanji spelling for this idiomatic expression.
Kana-mixed spelling; used when the kanji 噂 is avoided or for readability.
Literally 'wind rumor', a set phrase combining 風 (wind) and 噂 (rumor), evoking the idea of news carried by the wind.