滝 — “Waterfall / Rapids / Cascade” in Japanese

Master (高手)ろう, そう, たき

Radical ⽔ · radical 85 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Waterfall / Rapids / Cascade” in Japanese is 滝, read rou, sou, taki (ろう, そう, たき). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 滝 (waterfall).

Try it now

What does 滝 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	滝
Meaning	Waterfall / Rapids / Cascade
Readings	ろう, そう, たき
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	滝 (waterfall)

How to read 滝

滝 is read rou (ろう) or sou (そう) or taki (たき) depending on the word.

Learn 滝 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,018 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Kanji read the same way as 滝

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

Updated: 2026-08-28