うがい
うがい · ugai · JLPT N3 · noun
gargling
💧 From 鵜飼い (u-gai): cormorant fishing, where the bird takes water in and spits it out
A common folk etymology links うがい to 鵜飼い, the old practice of fishing with cormorants (鵜, u). The bird takes a fish and water into its throat and then brings them back up, much like gargling. Japanese people often うがい after coming home to prevent colds.