革(かわ)

かわ
noun
leather; hide
See also: 皮(かわ) (skin, peel (皮))
1. leather; tanned hide
Animal skin that has been processed (tanned) for use in making goods such as bags, shoes, belts, and jackets.
革(かわ)のバッグを買(か)った。
I bought a leather bag.
この革(かわ)は手触(てざわ)りがいい。
This leather has a nice feel to it.
本革(ほんがわ)の靴(くつ)は手入(てい)れをすれば長持(ながも)ちする。
Genuine leather shoes last a long time if you take care of them.

Refers specifically to processed animal skin (leather), as distinct from 皮(かわ) which means raw skin, hide, or peel. In practice, the two characters are sometimes used interchangeably, but the distinction matters in formal or technical contexts.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 本革(ほんがわ) — genuine leather
  • 合成(ごうせい)革(かわ) / 合皮(ごうひ) — synthetic leather
  • 革(かわ)製品(せいひん) — leather goods
  • 革(かわ)靴(ぐつ) — leather shoes
  • 革(かわ)ジャンパー — leather jacket

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 皮(かわ): skin, hide, peel — raw/unprocessed skin; also used for fruit peel
  • レザー: leather — English loanword used in fashion contexts
  • 革(かわ) vs 皮(かわ): 革(かわ) = tanned/processed leather; 皮(かわ) = raw skin or covering. A cow has 皮(かわ); a handbag is made of 革(かわ)

Related Words

Related: 皮(かわ) (raw skin/hide/peel)
general
Added 2026.3.25 15:09 · Revised 2026.4.1 12:32
19000/19310_kawa