📖 Meaning & Origin
The 川 radical depicts three flowing lines — the streams of a river. It symbolizes water in motion, flow, and rivers in nature.
📚 Kanji by JLPT Level
✍️ Where it appears & how it changes shape
川 is almost always a standalone kanji. Where it does appear inside another character, it usually sits on the right (順) or the right of a speech radical (訓). A curved variant 巛 exists but you will not meet it in JLPT study.
🔍 Don't confuse it with
Three strokes in both, but 三 lies flat and 川 stands upright. Beginners writing quickly produce something ambiguous.
川 with dots added. 州 means state or province.
📈 Beyond N5 — what comes next
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 順 | じゅん | order, sequence | N3 |
| 訓 | くん | instruction, kun-reading | N2 |
JLPT does not publish official kanji lists by level. These levels follow the commonly used reference lists and are a guide, not a guarantee.
🗣️ Words you will actually meet
🎯 How to use this radical in JLPT study
川 is a useful first encounter with a component that carries sound rather than meaning. In 順 and 訓 the river has nothing to do with the meaning. It is there because the character once sounded like せん. Roughly two thirds of all kanji work this way, with one part giving the meaning and one giving the sound, so noticing it here makes later levels much less mysterious.
⚠️ The mistake I see most often
Trying to force a meaning-based story onto 順 and 訓 (an 'orderly flowing river'). The mnemonic will not generalise, because the component is phonetic.
💡 Teacher's Memory Tip
Three vertical wavy lines side by side — water flowing downstream. Think of standing on a bridge watching three currents pass below.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
The 川 radical means 'river' or 'stream.' The three strokes represent the multiple channels of a flowing river.
At N5, 川 (river) is the key kanji. It combines with other kanji in place names across Japan — many Japanese rivers end in 川 (かわ).
Draw three lines flowing in the same direction — like a river's current. 川 looks like three streams merging into one river.
Other N5 Radicals
Practice 「川」 kanji with AI
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