1.
stream; brook; creek
A small, narrow body of flowing water, smaller than a river. Often found in natural settings like mountains, forests, or rural areas.
森の中を小川が流れている。
A stream flows through the forest.
小川で魚を捕った。
I caught fish in the stream.
小川のせせらぎが聞こえる。
I can hear the murmuring of the brook.
子供たちが小川で水遊びをしている。
The children are playing in the stream.
大雨が降ると、この小川は増水して危ないので近づかないでください。
When it rains heavily, this stream swells and becomes dangerous, so please stay away.
FORMATION:
小 (small) + 川 (river)
→ A small river; stream
USAGE:
Often appears in poetic or scenic descriptions:
- 小川のせせらぎ (murmur/babble of a brook)
- 小川の流れ (flow of a stream)
NOTE ON NAME:
小川 is also a common Japanese surname (Ogawa).
RELATED WORDS BY SIZE:
- 川 - River (general term)
- 大河 - Great river, major river
- 小川 - Stream, brook
- 細流 - Rivulet, streamlet (literary)
ONOMATOPOEIA:
- さらさら - Flowing smoothly (stream sound)
- せせらぎ - Murmuring, babbling (of a brook)
Related Words
Related:
川 (river)