(すいけい)

すいけい
noun
water system; river system; watershed
1. river system; water system; watershed
the network of rivers, tributaries, and streams that drain into a single body of water
利根川(とねがわ)水系(すいけい)日本最大(にほんさいだい)だ。
The Tone River system is the largest in Japan.
この地域(ちいき)複数(ふくすう)水系(すいけい)にまたがっている。
This region spans multiple river systems.
水系(すいけい)ごとに水質(すいしつ)管理(かんり)(おこな)われている。
Water quality management is conducted for each river system.
2. water-based; aqueous (as prefix)
used as a prefix to indicate something is water-based, as opposed to oil-based or solvent-based
水系(すいけい)インクは(かわ)きが(おそ)い。
Water-based ink dries slowly.
水系(すいけい)塗料(とりょう)はにおいが(すく)ない。
Water-based paint has less odor.
環境(かんきょう)への配慮(はいりょ)から、油性(ゆせい)ではなく水系(すいけい)洗剤(せんざい)(えら)企業(きぎょう)()えている。
Due to environmental considerations, more companies are choosing water-based detergents over oil-based ones.

Composed of (すい) (water) + (けい) (system; lineage). The two senses are quite distinct: the geographical meaning refers to river networks, while the chemical/industrial meaning indicates a water-based substance.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • (がわ)水系(すいけい): the ... river system
  • 水系(すいけい)汚染(おせん): water system contamination
  • 水系(すいけい)インク: water-based ink
  • 水系(すいけい)塗料(とりょう): water-based paint
  • 水系(すいけい)洗剤(せんざい): water-based detergent

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 流域(りゅういき): river basin; drainage area — refers to the land area rather than the network of waterways
  • 油性(ゆせい): oil-based — the antonym of 水系(すいけい) in the chemical/industrial sense
  • 水性(すいせい): water-based; aqueous — a near-synonym of sense 2, more common in consumer products (e.g., 水性(すいせい)ペン)