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川エビ (かわえび) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

川かわエビ

Meanings

1

noun

freshwater shrimp; river shrimp; freshwater prawn

Refers to small shrimp or prawns living in rivers and streams, often used in cooking or as bait.

この川かわでは川かわエビがたくさんとれる。
You can catch a lot of freshwater shrimp in this river.
川かわエビをから揚あげにするとおいしい。
Freshwater shrimp are delicious when deep-fried.

Written forms

川かわエビUsage50%
Standard common spelling using katakana for the animal part.
川かわ海老えびUsage36%
Kanji spelling using 海老 for shrimp; less common but still encountered.
カワエビUsage14%
search-only kana form
川かわ蝦えび

rarely-used kanji form

Rarely used kanji form with 蝦.

Kanji

川stream, river, river or three-stroke river radical (no. 47)
海sea, ocean
老old man, old age, grow old
蝦shrimp, prawn, lobster

Similar words

エビ
General term for shrimp/prawn, including both freshwater and saltwater species. 川エビ specifies freshwater habitat.
海老えび
Same as エビ but written with kanji; often used in compound words like 川海老.

Etymology

Compound of 川 (kawa, 'river') and エビ (ebi, 'shrimp'). The reading is straightforward.