涙
なみだ
hepburn namida
tears
Part of speech · noun
Pattern visualization
Examples
- 感動して涙が出ました。I was moved to tears.
- 涙をこらえて笑顔を作った。I held back tears and forced a smile.
Collocations
涙 (namida, tears)涙が出る (namida ga deru, tears come out)涙ぐむ (namidagumu, eyes well up)涙を流す (namida wo nagasu, shed tears)涙腺 (ruisen, tear ducts)
Mnemonic
Namida (涙) is the noun "tears" — kanji 涙 = 氵 (water) + 戻 (return) = "water returning." Namida ga deru (tears come, natural), namida wo nagasu (shed tears, volitional), namidagumu (eyes well up, mild), namida wo koraeru (hold back tears). Cluster: ruisen (tear ducts, medical), namida nagara ni (tearfully, adverbial). Metaphor: chi no namida (bloody tears = extreme grief), wani no namida (crocodile tears = false sorrow, matches English). A core emotion vocabulary in Japanese literature and dramas — namida no shiin (tear-jerking scene) is a Japanese drama / film cliché. Korean "nun-mul / nun-mul geul-sseong / pi-nun-mul" parallels, plus the crocodile-tears East-West shared image.
Quick check
Japanese idiom for "crocodile tears" and its meaning?