Kanji N2

河: river

河 is a JLPT N2 kanji meaning river, written with 8 strokes. It is read カ (on) and かわ (kun). Children in Japan learn it in grade 5. You will see it in 運河 (うんが, canal) and 河川 (かせん, rivers).

河

Meanings

  • river
Strokes8
JLPT levelN2
School gradeGrade 5
Frequency#663 of 2,500

On reading · Kun reading

On reading
  • カ

On'yomi: from Chinese, written in katakana. Used in compound words.

Kun reading
  • かわ

Kun'yomi: native Japanese, in hiragana. The faint part is the okurigana, written in kana after the kanji.

Watch the stroke order

Every stroke in order, the live one in vermilion. Replay as often as you like.

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Now draw it

Trace each stroke in order. Wrong direction or wrong order gets flagged right away.

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Your turn: draw stroke 1 of 8. Start at the dot.

Common words with 河

The most useful words written with it, easiest first. Every other kanji in them opens its own page.

  • 運河うんが

    (navigable) canal; waterway

    JLPT N2
  • 河川かせん

    rivers

    JLPT N1
  • 河口かこう

    mouth of river; estuary

  • 大河たいが

    large river

  • 河原かわら

    dry riverbed; river beach

  • 銀河ぎんが

    Milky Way

  • 氷河ひょうが

    glacier

  • 河川敷かせんじき

    flood plain; river terrace; riverside area

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Stroke order from KanjiVG © Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0. Readings, meanings and words from KANJIDIC2 and JMdict, names from JMnedict, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0, and Wikidata, CC0. JLPT lists after Jonathan Waller (tanos.co.uk), CC BY.