斑模様

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 斑模様 is a noun read まだらもよう, meaning a mottled pattern in which colors or shades appear in irregular patches.
• Basic usage: It can describe a mottled cat or a black-and-white pattern visible on a stone surface.
  • 斑模様の猫が塀の上で眠っている。 says that a mottled cat is sleeping on top of the wall; 石の表面に白と黒の斑模様が見える。 says that a black-and-white mottled pattern is visible on the stone's surface.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• 斑模様の猫
  • の links the cat to its mottled appearance.
• 表面に模様が見える
  • に marks the stone's surface as the place where the pattern is visible.
• 斑模様 and 縞模様
  • 斑模様 has irregular patches of color, while 縞模様 has repeated lines or bands forming stripes.