river

About this kanji

The kanji 川 (kawa) means "river" and is a commonly used noun in Japanese. You will often see it in compound words, such as 川口 (kawaguchi), which means "river mouth," indicating where a river meets a larger body of water. Another example is 川岸 (kawagishi), meaning "riverbank," referring to the land alongside a river. Additionally, there's 川遊び (kawaasobi), which means "playing in the river," a popular activity, especially during warmer months. When using this kanji, remember that it primarily functions as a noun, focusing on natural features and related activities.

Built from

Example sentences

• 川は流れています。

  The river is flowing.

Meanings across languages

English

river

Tiếng Việt

sông

日本語

川

한국어

강

中文

河

id

sungai

th

แม่น้ำ

es

río

fr

rivière

de

fluss

pt

rio

Common compounds

• 川口かわぐちriver mouth
• 川岸かわぎしriverbank
• 川遊びかわあそびplaying in the river

Words using this kanji

Related articles

• JLPT N4 Kanji List: The ~170 New Characters After N5

  N4 adds roughly 170 kanji on top of N5, covering everyday verbs, adjectives, and places. Here's the themed list and how N4 differs from N5.