河岸(かがん)

Compound of 河(か) ('river') and 岸(がん) ('shore; bank'). The standard Sino-Japanese term for a riverbank, used in geography, urban planning, and everyday description.

Usage

• Read as かがん in the standard Sino-Japanese reading. There is also a native reading かし, which historically referred to a riverside fish market or wholesale market (as in 日本橋(にほんばし)魚河岸(うおがし), the old Tsukiji fish market's predecessor).
• 河岸(かがん) is the neutral, descriptive term. For the expression 河岸(かし)を変(か)える ('to change the scene; to move to a different bar or restaurant'), the reading is かし.
• Used in news reports about flooding, erosion, and infrastructure along rivers.

Common collocations

• 河岸(かがん)の浸食(しんしょく): riverbank erosion
• 河岸(かがん)段丘(だんきゅう): river terrace (geographical term)
• 河岸(かがん)を歩(ある)く: to walk along the riverbank
• 河岸(かがん)に沿(そ)って: along the riverbank

Similar words

• 川岸(かわぎし): riverbank — the native Japanese reading with the same meaning, slightly more conversational
• 岸(きし): shore; bank — the general term for any shoreline (river, lake, or sea)
• 川辺(かわべ): riverside — a gentler, more scenic word evoking a pleasant riverside area
• 堤防(ていぼう): levee; embankment — the man-made structure built to prevent flooding, not the natural bank