畔(ほとり)

ほとり
noun
edge of a body of water; shore; bank
naturegeography
1. edge of a body of water; shore; bank; lakeside
The area immediately beside a lake, river, pond, or sea. A somewhat literary word, often used in descriptive or poetic writing rather than casual speech.
湖(みずうみ)の畔(ほとり)を歩(ある)いた。
I walked along the lakeside.
川(かわ)の畔(ほとり)に小(ちい)さな家(いえ)が建(た)っていた。
A small house stood on the riverbank.
池(いけ)の畔(ほとり)で本(ほん)を読(よ)みながら、静(しず)かな午後(ごご)を過(す)ごした。
I spent a quiet afternoon reading a book by the pond.

A literary word for the edge of a body of water, typically combined with the body of water using の.

Common collocations

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畔(ほとり) has a literary, slightly poetic feel. In ordinary speech, more concrete words are preferred:

general
Added 2026.5.13 8:52 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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