wave, ripples
On'yomi (音読み)
- ハ
- バ
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- なみ
About this kanji
The kanji "波" primarily means "wave" or "ripples," and it is typically used as a noun. You’ll encounter it in several compounds, such as "波紋" (はもん), which means "ripple," often used to describe the effect similar to ripples spreading on water. Another common compound is "波長" (はちょう), meaning "wavelength," which refers to the distance between waves in physics. Additionally, "波動" (はどう) translates to "vibration," relevant in both sound and physics. A useful note about this kanji is that it can be used to describe not just physical waves, like in water, but also metaphorical waves, such as emotions.
Built from
Example sentences
海の波が高い。
The waves at sea are high.
Meanings across languages
- English
- wave, ripples
- Tiếng Việt
- sóng, gợn sóng
- 日本語
- 波
- 한국어
- 물결, 파도
- 中文
- 波, 涟漪
- id
- gelombang, gelombang kecil
- th
- คลื่น, คลื่นเล็ก
- es
- ola, onditas
- fr
- vague, ondulations
- de
- Welle, Wellen
- pt
- onda, ondulações
Common compounds
- 波紋はもんripple, wave pattern
- 波長はちょうwavelength
- 波動はどうvibration, wave motion
Want to actually learn this kanji?
The dictionary is one view. The Kanji 360 app wraps every character with mnemonic images, audio readings, stroke-order animation, story context, and SRS scheduling — free to start on iPhone, iPad, and Android.