Kanji · JLPT N5 · Level 8
川 river
- Meaning
- river
- On reading
- セン
- Kun reading
- かわ
Memory hook
Three lines flowing downward: water running between two banks. セン in compounds, かわ on its own.
Words that use 川
川
かわ
river
小川
おがわ
stream
How to write 川
Stroke order · 3 strokes
1
2
3
- 1. The vertical on the left.
- 2. The vertical through the centre.
- 3. The vertical on the right.
Stroke data from KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0.
General rules
- Top to bottom, left to right.
- Horizontal strokes before crossing vertical ones (十 = horizontal, then vertical).
- Outside before inside - but close a box last (口).
- A vertical that passes all the way through comes last (中).
- Left-falling diagonal before right-falling (大).
川 is taught on day 15 of the kanji course, alongside 南 北 山, with two writing passes and a short quiz.