Kanji 川 - river
Kanji 川 means river. Onyomi readings are セン (sen) . Kunyomi readings are かわ (kawa).
JLPT N5Grade 1
Stroke order animation (3 strokes)
Stroke Order Diagram
Each box shows the kanji up to that stroke. Red dot indicates stroke start point.
Readings of 川
音On'yomi (音読み)
セン(sen)
訓Kun'yomi (訓読み)
かわ(kawa)
川 in different fonts
Vocabulary with 川
| Audio | English  | Romaji | Japanese | Kana |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| river | kawa | 川 | かわ | |
| creek | ogawa | 小川 | おがわ |
Common words containing the kanji 川
More Information about 川
Common words with 川 (kawa/sen)
- 川 (kawa)（かわ）: river
- 小川 (ogawa)（おがわ）: stream; brook
- 川上 (kawakami)（かわかみ） / 上流 (jōryū)（じょうりゅう）: upstream
- 川下 (kawashimo)（かわしも） / 下流 (karyū)（かりゅう）: downstream
- 川辺 (kawabe)（かわべ）／川沿い (kawazoi)（かわぞい）: riverside / along the river
- 河川 (kasen)（かせん）: rivers (formal/technical term)
- 川口 (kawaguchi)（かわぐち）: river mouth (also a city name)
Place names you’ll see with 川 (kawa)
- 川崎 (Kawasaki)（かわさき）, 川越 (Kawagoe)（かわごえ）, 多摩川 (Tamagawa)（たまがわ）, 荒川 (Arakawa)（あらかわ） — knowing 川 (kawa) = river helps you guess meanings and readings in maps and signs.
Cultural notes with 川 (kawa)
- Summer 川遊び (kawa asobi)（かわあそび）: playing by/in a river (paddling, BBQ).
- Traditional 鵜飼 (ukai)（うかい）: cormorant fishing held on some rivers.
- 川開き (kawabiraki)（かわびらき）: “river opening” festivals at the start of the boating season.
