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河原 (かわら) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N1 Freq. Frequency Top 20,000 Meanings 1
noun
dry riverbed ; river beach
Refers to the flat, often pebbly area beside or within a river, typically exposed when water levels are low. Can be used for both dry stretches and sandy/gravelly banks.
い
た
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After the heavy rain, the riverbed was completely submerged.
Written forms 河原かわら Usage 68%
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency in news and general use.
川原かわら Usage 28%
Common variant; interchangeable with 河原 in most contexts.
磧かわら Usage 5%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; not recommended for learners.
カワラ Usage <1%
Kanji 原 meadow, original, primitive 川 stream, river, river or three-stroke river radical (no. 47) Etymology Compound of 河 (か, river) or 川 (かわ, river) and 原 (はら, field/plain), with rendaku voicing to わら. The spelling 磧 is a single kanji with the same meaning but is rarely used.
expanse of sand, pebbly beach
