沼
ぬま
marsh, swamp
By Nihongo PathUpdated
Examples
沼に魚がいる。
ぬまにさかながいる。
There are fish in the marsh.
この沼は浅いが、底は泥ばかりだ。
このぬまはあさいが、そこはどろばかりだ。
This marsh is shallow, but the bottom is nothing but mud.
村の外れに小さな沼があって、夏は虫が多い。
むらのはずれにちいさなぬまがあって、なつはむしがおおい。
There is a small swamp on the edge of the village, and in summer there are a lot of insects.
子どものころ、よく沼のまわりで遊びました。
こどものころ、よくぬまのまわりであそびました。
When I was a child I often played around the marsh.
Common patterns
- 沼にはまる
- to get stuck in a marsh (also slang: to fall down a rabbit hole)
- 沼の水
- marsh water
- 浅い沼
- a shallow marsh
Memory tip
Size order: 沼 is smaller and muddier than a 湖 (lake) and shallower than a 池 (pond) that people dig. In modern slang 沼にはまる also means getting hopelessly absorbed in a hobby — once you step in, you cannot get out.
Kanji in this word
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What does 沼 mean?