ChiramiN5 kanji · 3 strokes
川 means river
川
川Real origin
It began as water flowing between two banks: river.
Real origin: where the kanji comes from, as far as scholars agree.
Meaning and readings
- Meanings
- stream, river
- JLPT level
- N5
- Strokes
- 3
- School grade
- Grade 1 in Japan
Japanese (kunyomi) かわ kawa
かわ (kawa) is the Japanese word for this kanji. You use it when the kanji stands alone or has kana after it. Dictionaries call this the kun reading.
From Chinese (onyomi) セン sen
セン (sen) came from Chinese with the character. You mostly hear it in words made of several kanji. Dictionaries call this the on reading.
Tap a reading to see when it's used. Why kanji have two kinds of reading: onyomi vs kunyomi.
Common word
小川 おがわ · ogawa
stream, brook
Quick check
What does 川 mean?
Right: 川 means river.Not quite: 川 means river.In 小川, which reading does 川 use?
Right. 小川 is read おがわ (ogawa): 川 takes かわ, its Japanese reading, which becomes がわ here.Not quite. 小川 is read おがわ (ogawa): 川 takes かわ, its Japanese reading, which becomes がわ here.