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JLPT N28画 · 8 strokesradical 水grade 3freq #3143

lake

On'yomi (音読み)

  • コウ

Kun'yomi (訓読み)

  • みずうみ

Mnemonic

Imagine an ancient man fishing by a beautiful lake, where the water (水) flows over the old rocks (古), creating a serene scene.

About this kanji

The kanji 「湖」 means "lake" in English and is primarily used as a noun. You will often see it in compounds such as 「湖畔」 (こはん), meaning "lake shore," which refers to the area next to a lake, and 「湖水」 (こすい), which stands for "lake water," indicating the water found in lakes. Another significant term is 「淡水湖」 (たんすいこ), meaning "freshwater lake," which describes lakes that do not contain saltwater. When using this kanji, note that it typically refers to larger bodies of water, so it’s less likely to be used for smaller ponds or artificial bodies of water.

Built from

Example sentences

  • この湖はとても美しい。

    This lake is very beautiful.

Meanings across languages

English
lake
Tiếng Việt
hồ
日本語
한국어
호수
中文
id
danau
th
ทะเลสาบ
es
lago
fr
lac
de
See
pt
lago

Common compounds

  • 湖畔こはんlake shore
  • 湖水こすいlake water
  • 淡水湖たんすいこfreshwater lake
  • 料金湖りょうきんこfee lake

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