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Kotomora

泉

spring, fountain

JLPTN2StatusJōyō · grade 6FrequencyTop 2,000Strokes9

Readings

On'yomi

  • セン

Kun'yomi

  • いずみ

Nanori

  • いず
  • ずい
  • ずみ
  • ぜい
  • ぜん
  • の

Meaning

泉 centers on water emerging naturally from the ground: a spring or fountain. Both meanings describe the same source of flowing water.

Most common words using 泉

20 of 111
  • 温泉おんせん
    N3

    hot spring

  • 泉いずみ
    N3

    spring; fountain

  • 和泉いずみ

    Izumi (former province located in the southwest of present-day Osaka Prefecture)

  • 源泉げんせん

    source (of a spring, etc.)

  • 黄泉よみ

    Hades; hell; underworld

  • 温泉郷おんせんきょう

    hot-spring village; onsen village

  • 泉州せんしゅう

    Quanzhou (China); Chinchew

  • 冷泉れいせん

    cold mineral spring

  • 泉水せんすい

    garden pond; miniature lake

  • 間欠泉かんけつせん

    geyser

  • 鉱泉こうせん

    mineral spring

  • 神泉しんせん

    miraculous fountain

  • 大辞泉だいじせん

    Daijisen (Japanese dictionary published by Shogakukan)

  • 炭酸泉たんさんせん

    carbonated spring; soda spring

  • 天然温泉てんねんおんせん

    natural hot spring

  • 霊泉れいせん

    miraculous spring or fountain

  • 温泉街おんせんがい
    N2

    hot spring district (within a town)

  • ことばの泉ことばのいずみ

    Kotoba no Izumi (Japanese dictionary; publ. 1898)

  • カルルス泉塩カルルスせんえん

    Karlsbad salt

  • デジタル大辞泉デジタルだいじせん

    Digital Daijisen (online dictionary)

Explore all words using 泉 →

Study

Etymology

泉 is a pictograph of water flowing from a spring. The top 白 originally depicted a spring opening or source, and the bottom 水 is water. The modern form retains this clear image.

Meaning mnemonic

The top 白 looks like a white rock opening, and the bottom 水 is water. Picture clear water bubbling out of a white rock: a natural spring.

Reading mnemonic

For セン, imagine a thousand (千, せん) tiny springs feeding a fountain: 千 -> セン, and all that water flows from the spring.