1.
river system; water system; watershed
the network of rivers, tributaries, and streams that drain into a single body of water
利根川水系は日本最大だ。
The Tone River system is the largest in Japan.
この地域は複数の水系にまたがっている。
This region spans multiple river systems.
水系ごとに水質の管理が行われている。
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
水系インクは乾きが遅い。
Water-based ink dries slowly.
水系の塗料はにおいが少ない。
Water-based paint has less odor.
環境への配慮から、油性ではなく水系の洗剤を選ぶ企業が増えている。
Due to environmental considerations, more companies are choosing water-based detergents over oil-based ones.
Composed of 水 (water) + 系 (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:
- ~川水系: the ... river system
- 水系汚染: water system contamination
- 水系インク: water-based ink
- 水系塗料: water-based paint
- 水系洗剤: water-based detergent
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 流域: river basin; drainage area — refers to the land area rather than the network of waterways
- 油性: oil-based — the antonym of 水系 in the chemical/industrial sense
- 水性: water-based; aqueous — a near-synonym of sense 2, more common in consumer products (e.g., 水性ペン)