Details
Stroke Order
Cultural Context
Etymology
Composed of water and phonetic. Flowing water.
Symbolism
River, great river, galaxy. Represents large flow.
Related Culture & Scenes
- — Flow of the river
Component Breakdown
left-right: water + 可
Words & Expressions
Words written with 河
Four-Character Compounds
白河夜船
しらかわよふね
being fast asleep (and totally unaware of what is going on around one); know-it-all manner
暴虎馮河
ぼうこひょうが
foolhardy courage
屍山血河
しざんけつが
heaps of bodies and streams of blood; fierce battle
百年河清
ひゃくねんかせい
waiting for one hundred years for the waters of the Yellow River to clear; waiting in vain for an unlikely event; waiting for pigs to fly
二河白道
にがびゃくどう
the road to paradise is a white road between two rivers, one of water (wrath) and one of fire (greed)
Proverbs & Idioms
河童の川流れ
かっぱのかわながれ
Even kappa drown
Even experts can fail at their specialty
Poetry
荒海や佐渡によこたふ天河
A rough sea — and stretched toward Sado, the River of Heaven.
五月雨や大河を前に家二軒
The rains of the fifth month — two houses facing a swollen river.
夏河を越すうれしさよ手に草履
The joy of wading a summer river, sandals in hand.
Anime & Manga
銀河英雄伝説
Legend of the Galactic Heroes
A well-known work with 河 in its Japanese title.
僕らはみんな河合荘
The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior
A well-known work with 河 in its Japanese title.
おとなりに銀河
A Galaxy Next Door
A well-known work with 河 in its Japanese title.
おとなリに銀河
A Galaxy Next Door
A well-known work with 河 in its Japanese title.
天は赤い河のほとり
Red River
A well-known work with 河 in its Japanese title.
Related Figures & Stories
後白河天皇
Name contains 河
Emperor Go-Shirakawa was the 77th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.
Wikipedia凡河内躬恒
Name contains 河
Ōshikōchi no Mitsune was an early Heian administrator and waka poet of the Japanese court , and a member of the Thirty-six Poetry Immortals.
Wikipedia河上彦斎
Name contains 河
Kawakami Gensai was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period.
Wikipedia河鍋暁斎
Name contains 河
Kawanabe Kyōsai was a Japanese painter and caricaturist.
WikipediaOther kanji with the same meaning
“river”
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 河 mean in Japanese?
河 means river.
How do you read 河?
On'yomi: カ (KA). Kun'yomi: かわ (kawa).
How many strokes does 河 have?
河 has 8 strokes. Its radical is 水 (water).
Is 河 a good kanji for a tattoo?
河 is one of the kanji most often chosen for tattoos. It means river. Read the full meaning and cultural background on this page first — some popular choices are deliberately dark.
Explore by meaning:river