Learn Japanese while reading Manga with our new Manga Reader Tool!

Nihongo

Classroom

How to say 'River' in Japanese | 川

Wondering how to say 'River' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for River is 'Kawa', written as 川 in Japanese.'River' in hiragana is かわ.

    word

    Meaning

    River

    Reading

    かわ

    kawa

    Kanji

    River

    Explanation

    The Japanese noun '川 (かわ)' means 'river'. It refers to a natural flowing watercourse, typically freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake, or another river. This word is commonly used in everyday conversation and place names. For example: The river is wide「川は広い」(かわはひろい). I crossed the river「川を渡った」(かわをわたった). The word '川' is often used in compound words, such as '川岸 (かわぎし)' meaning 'riverbank' or '川下り (かわくだり)' meaning 'river descent'.

    Part Of Speech

    noun

    Kanji JLPT

    N5

    Kanji Grade

    1

    Frequency

    588

    Composition

    kanji

    Handwriting

Kanji in the Word

This word contains 1 kanji character:

  • kanji

    Meaning

    River

Words Related to Through the Kanji

These 2 Words contain the Kanji 川 as well.

  • word

    小川

    Meaning

    Stream

  • word

    天の川

    Meaning

    Milky Way

Learn the Word

Let's make sure you fully understand this word.

What does 'Kawa' (川) mean?

'Kawa' means 'River' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.