Japanese symbol for “stream”
小川
おがわ
Romaji: ogawa
stream; brook; creek
In Japanese, stream is 小川, read おがわ (ogawa).
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 stream; brook; creek
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “stream”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 流れ | ながれ nagare | flow (of a fluid or gas); stream; current |
| 川 | かわ kawa | river; stream |
| 流れる | ながれる nagareru | to stream; to flow (liquid, time, etc.); to run (ink) |
| 枠 | わく waku | stream; livestream; live stream |
| 行く | いく iku | to stream; to flow |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 小説 | しょうせつ shousetsu | novel; story; (work of) fiction |
| 小学校 | しょうがっこう shougakkou | primary school; elementary school; grade school |
| 小学生 | しょうがくせい shougakusei | elementary school student; primary school student; grade school student |
| 小型 | こがた kogata | small-sized; small-scale; miniature |
| 小さい | ちいさい chiisai | small; little; tiny |
| 縮小 | しゅくしょう shukushou | reduction; curtailment; cut |
| 河川 | かせん kasen | rivers |
| 川上 | かわかみ kawakami | upper reaches of a river; upstream |
See also: Chinese symbol for “stream”.
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.