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KanjiGrade 5 › 河
Kyōiku Kanji

河 — large river

Grade 5か, こう, かわ

河 (readings: か, こう, かわ; Japanese kanji) means “large river”. It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 河川 (rivers).

What does 河 mean?

Kanji
Meaninglarge river
Readingsか, こう, かわ
GradeGrade 5 (Hard)
CurriculumKyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school

How to read 河

河 is read or こう or かわ depending on the word.

Example words with 河

Example河川 (rivers)
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Updated: 2026-07-14