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河
Kyōiku Kanji

河 — “large river” in Japanese

Grade 5か, こう, かわ
Radical ⽔ · radical 85 The building block this kanji is filed under

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

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What does 河 mean?

Full details, readings & example
Kanji河
Meaninglarge river
Readingsか, こう, かわ
GradeGrade 5 (Hard)
CurriculumKyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example河川 (rivers)

How to read 河

河 is read ka (か) or kou (こう) or kawa (かわ) depending on the word.

Words with 河

  • 河川かせん
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Kanji read the same way as 河

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

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Updated: 2026-08-28
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