Mizu no Awa (To End in Vain)

Today, I will talk about the Japanese idiom "mizu no awa."

"Mizu" means "water", "awa" means "bubble," and "mizu no awa" can express "bubbles that float on a surface of water" literally.

However, in most cases, it is used when you express that your efforts or works end in vain.

For example, when you say "my efforts become mizu no awa (bubbles on water)," it means that your efforts disappear like fleeting bubbles that float on water.

Also, there is another expression "suiho ni kisu," the literal meaning of which is "to return back to bubbles on water."

"Suiho ni kisu" has exactly the same meaning of "mizu no awa," but I think it sounds smarter (this is my personal opinion).

水の泡

今日は、日本の慣用句「水の泡」を紹介します。

「水の泡」は、文字通り水面に浮かぶ泡を意味することもできます。

しかし大抵の場合は、「努力がや苦労が無駄になること」を表す際に用いられます。

例えば、「努力が水の泡になる」と言うと、「努力が水の泡のようにはかなく消えてなくなる」という意味になります。

また、全く同じ意味を持つ「水泡に帰す」という表現を使って、「努力が水泡に帰す」のように言うと、格好いいと個人的に思います。

This is excellent writing. I cannot think of anything at all to suggest.

Your English is perfect in this post! I don't think there is anything for me to correct. (or maybe because my sleepy eyes could not catch any mistake for now, but I think you are fine! :P )

Thank you for these posts! I really enjoy learning all these literary Japanese phrases from you.