Japanese symbol for “river”
川
かわ
Romaji: kawa
river; stream
In Japanese, river is 川, read かわ (kawa).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n river; stream
- suf River; the ... river
Written forms: 川、河. Readings: かわ、がわ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “river”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| リバー | リバー ribaa | river |
| ザリバー | ザリバー zaribaa | The River (film) |
| エリダヌス座 | エリダヌスざ eridanusuza | Eridanus (constellation); the River |
| 河渠 | かきょ kakyo | waterway; canal; river |
| 渠河 | きょが kyoga | waterway; canal; river |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 小川 | おがわ ogawa | stream; brook; creek |
| 河川 | かせん kasen | rivers |
| 川上 | かわかみ kawakami | upper reaches of a river; upstream |
| 谷川 | たにがわ tanigawa | mountain stream |
| 川柳 | せんりゅう senryuu | senryū; comic haiku; humorous seventeen-mora poem |
| 川岸 | かわぎし kawagishi | riverbank; riverside |
See also: Chinese symbol for “river”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.