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Words Kanji Guides About

カワイルカ (かわいるか) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

カワイルカ

Meanings

1

noun

river dolphin

usually written using kana alone

Refers to freshwater dolphins found in rivers, such as the Amazon river dolphin or the Ganges river dolphin.

アマゾン川がわにはカワイルカが生せい息そくしている。
River dolphins inhabit the Amazon River.

Written forms

カワイルカ
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is common for this animal name; usually written in kana.
河かわ海豚いるか
Kanji spelling using 河 (river) and 海豚 (dolphin); rarely used.
川かわ海豚いるか
Kanji spelling using 川 (river) and 海豚 (dolphin); rarely used.

Kanji

河river

海sea, ocean

豚pork, pig

川stream, river, river or three-stroke river radical (no. 47)

Similar words

イルカ
イルカ is the general term for dolphin, while カワイルカ specifically refers to freshwater river dolphins.

Etymology

Compound of 川 (kawa, 'river') and 海豚 (iruka, 'dolphin'). The kanji spellings are straightforward combinations of the characters for 'river' and 'dolphin'.