川
kawa[ka̠β̞a̠]
The Japanese word for river is 川 (kawa).
川 refers to a large stream which drains a landmass.
Meaning: large stream which drains a landmass (noun)
Which one should you use?
The kanji variant 河 is also used for 'river', though 川 is much more common in daily writing.
How do you pronounce it?
kawa
Did you know?
- In Japanese culture, the 'river' is often used as a metaphor for the boundary between the living and the dead, most famously in the legend of the Sanzu River.
- The pronunciation kawa is often subject to 'rendaku', a linguistic phenomenon where it changes to 'gawa' when combined with other words, such as in 'Edogawa' (the Edo River).
- The kanji for 川 is a pictograph designed to look like three flowing lines of water. It is one of the most visually intuitive characters in the Japanese writing system.
Examples in context
- その川は広い。The river is wide.This sentence is useful for describing the width of the 川.Tatoeba #208499 by bunbuku, translation #45748 by CK
- 川に行こうよ。Let's go to the river.This sentence is useful for suggesting an activity at the 川.Tatoeba #9382514 by small_snow, translation #9381838 by CK
- 彼は川に落ちた。He fell into the river.This sentence is useful for describing someone falling into the 川.Tatoeba #103019 by bunbuku, translation #300674 by CK
- この川は美しいですね。This river is beautiful, isn't it?
- 297 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Hiroto are walking in a park near the water.
- 結衣 Yuiこの川、水が澄んでいるね。Kono kawa, mizu ga sunde iru ne.The water in this river is so clear, isn't it?
- 大翔 Hiroto本当だね。すごく綺麗だよ。Hontou da ne. Sugoku kirei da yo.You're right. It's very beautiful.
- 結衣 Yui近くにキャンプ場もあるみたい。Chikaku ni kyanpu-jou mo aru mitai.It looks like there is a campsite nearby too.
- 大翔 Hiroto今度、川へ遊びに行こう。Kondo, kawa e asobi ni ikou.Let's go to the river to hang out sometime.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “river” translations and entries 川, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
