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N5 · 3 strokes · 47. 川 river · Irodori #276 · Elementary 2 L1
川
river, river or three-stroke river radical (no. 47), stream
Stroke diagrams © KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Readings
- On’yomi
- セン
- Kun’yomi
- かわ
Example words
川
かわ
river; stream
川沿い
かわぞい
along the river; riverside
川上
かわかみ
upper reaches of a river; upstream
川岸
かわぎし
riverbank; riverside
Memory aids
Guided learn session →How to remember
Shape
Three vertical streams — a river flowing.
Components
This character is itself a fundamental radical — a building block you'll see inside many other kanji.
Anchor word
川 (かわ) — your first meeting with this kanji in Irodori.
Readings
First learned in 川 (かわ) — recall the word to unlock the reading. Kun'yomi: かわ — often used in native Japanese words (like 川). On'yomi: セン — common in compound words (熟語).