せせらぎ

See also: せせらき and せぜらき

Japanese

Alternative forms

• (obsolete) せせらき (seseraki), せぜらき (sezeraki)

Etymology

The 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of the verb せせらぐ (seseragu, “of shallow water, to flow with a soft sound”), itself attested in the Ruiju Myōgishō (c. 12th century). Ultimately onomatopoeia. Compare English susurration, Latin susurrus.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) せせらぎ [sèsérágí] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [se̞se̞ɾa̠ɡʲi]

Noun

せせらぎ • (seseragi) 

1. a small stream, brooklet
   • 1977, “Kitaguni no Haru [Spring in the North]”, Haku Ide (lyrics), Minoru Endō (music), performed by Masao Sen:

     雪(ゆき)どけ　せせらぎ　丸(まる)木(き)橋(ばし)　落葉松(からまつ)の芽(め)がふく北(きた)国(ぐに)の　ああ北(きた)国(ぐに)の春(はる)

     yukidoke seseragi marukibashi karamatsu no me ga fuku kitaguni no ā kitaguni no haru

     Thawing snow, the small stream, and the log bridge. The larch-sprouts are budding up North, ah, spring in the North!

   • 1989, “Kawa no nagare no yō ni [Like the flow of the river]”, Yasushi Akimoto (lyrics), Akira Mitake (music), performed by Hibari Misora:

     ああ川(かわ)の流(なが)れのように　いつまでも青(あお)いせせらぎを　聞(き)きながら

     ā kawa no nagare no yō ni itsu made mo aoi seseragi o kikinagara

     Ah, like the flow of the river, while forever listening to the cerulean brook.

2. the sound of such a stream
   • 1954, Satoshi Kubota (lyrics and music), “Kāsan no uta [Song of the mother]”:

     小(お)川(がわ)のせせらぎが聞(きこ)える　なつかしさがしみとおる

     ogawa no seseragi ga kikoeru natsukashisa ga shimitōru

     Hearing the sound of the stream, [it is] piercing me with nostalgia.

Synonyms

• 溝(せせなき) (sesenaki), 溝(せせなぎ) (sesenagi)

See also

• 渓(けい)声(せい) (keisei, “(sound of a) mountain or valley stream”)