涙なみだ

also: なみた · なだ · なんだ

な

み

だ

Common wordJLPTN4Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

1

noun

tear; tears; lachrymal fluid

The ordinary word for tears: the fluid from the eyes, whether from emotion, irritation, pain, or another physical cause.

彼かの女じょは涙なみだをこらえて話はなした。
She spoke while holding back tears.
玉たまねぎを切きると涙なみだが出でる。

Tears come out when I cut onions.

2

noun

sympathy; compassion; human feeling

Used less as a standalone abstract noun and more in fixed expressions where 涙 suggests compassion or humane feeling, especially 血も涙もない, “heartless.”

そんな血ちも涙なみだもない言いい方かたはやめてください。
Please stop speaking in such a heartless way.

Written forms

涙Usage96%
- なみだ
  Standard and common spelling and reading.
- なみた
  out-dated reading
  Obsolete reading marked; included mainly for older texts and search.
- なだ
  out-dated reading
  Obsolete reading restricted to 涙; included for recognition in older usage.
- なんだ
  out-dated reading
  Obsolete reading restricted to 涙; included for recognition in older usage.
なみだUsage3%
泪Usage1%
rarely-used kanji form
- なみだ
  Rare kanji variant given; use 涙 in ordinary modern writing.
- なみた
  out-dated reading
ナミダUsage<1%
涕Usage<1%
rarely-used kanji form
- なみだ
  Rare kanji variant given; mainly useful for recognition.
- なみた
  out-dated reading
なだ
out-dated reading
なみた
out-dated reading
なんだ
out-dated reading

Kanji

涙tears, sympathy
泪tears, weep, cry
涕tears, sympathy

Similar words

泣なく
Verb meaning “to cry”; 涙 is the noun for the tears themselves.
涙なみだぐむ
Means “to become teary-eyed,” focusing on tears welling up rather than the tears as a noun.
同どう情じょう
Direct noun for “sympathy”; 涙 only means sympathy in limited idiomatic or figurative uses.

Etymology

なみだ is a native Japanese word; the exact historical derivation is uncertain. 涙 is the standard kanji spelling for tears, while 泪 and 涕 are rare variants.