Umi no Mokuzu (海の藻屑 – Being Drowned at Sea)

Both

English

Japanese

To die due to a marine accident is called ‘umi no mokuzu ni naru‘ (海の藻屑になる) in Japanese.

海難事故で死んでしまうことを、日本語で「海の藻屑になる」と言います。

‘Umi‘ (海) means “sea,” ‘mo‘ (藻) means “alga,” ‘kuzu‘ (屑) means “scrap,” and ‘naru‘ (なる) means “to become.”

「海」は “sea”、「藻屑」は “scrap alga”、「になる」は “to become” を意味します。

That is to say, the literal meaning of this phrase is “to become scrap algae at sea.”

すなわち、「海の藻屑になる」の文字どおりの意味は “to become scrap algae” となります。

Incidentally, there is another Japanese term ‘mozuku‘ (モズク), which means “nemacystus decipiens.”

ちなみに、日本語には “nemacystus decipiens” を意味する「モズク」という言葉があります。

Since ‘mozuku’ is a kind of seaweeds and its sound is similar to ‘mokuzu’, some people say ‘umi no mozuku to naru‘ by mistake.

「モズク」は海藻であり、かつ「藻屑」と発音がよく似ているため、「海の藻屑」を「海のモズク」と言い間違える人もいます。