河童かっぱ

also: かわっぱ

か

っ

ぱ

Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

kappa; mythical water imp

A legendary creature from Japanese folklore, often depicted as a child-sized humanoid with a turtle-like shell and a dish of water on its head. It inhabits rivers and ponds.

昔むかし話ばなしにはよく河童かっぱが登とう場じょうする。
Kappa often appear in old folktales.
川かわで泳およぐときは河童かっぱに気きをつけろと言いわれた。
I was told to watch out for kappa when swimming in the river.

noun

excellent swimmer

colloquial

Only with reading かっぱ / カッパ

Colloquial metaphor likening a skilled swimmer to a kappa. Often used in a lighthearted or admiring way.

彼かれはまるで河童かっぱのように泳およぐ。
He swims just like a kappa.

noun

cucumber

colloquial

Only with reading かっぱ / カッパ

Colloquial term for cucumber, derived from the kappa's legendary love of cucumbers. Used in casual conversation.

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉が河かっ童ぱのように泳およぐfor someone to swim like a kappa (i.e., swim extremely well)
弟おとうとは河童かっぱのように泳およぐ。
My little brother swims like a fish.

Expressions

屁への河童かっぱa piece of cake; a cinch; something very easy
河童かっぱの屁へsomething very easy; a cinch; a piece of cake
河童かっぱの寒かん稽げい古こsomething that looks difficult but actually isn't
河童かっぱの川かわ流ながれanyone can make a mistake; even experts slip up
陸おかに上あがった河童かっぱa fish out of water; a kappa on land

Kanji

河river
童juvenile, child

Related words

キュウリN1sense 3
胡瓜 is the standard word for cucumber, while 河童 is a playful colloquial term derived from the kappa's legendary fondness for cucumbers.

Don't confuse with

カッパ
河童 (also read かっぱ) is the mythical water creature of folklore, completely unrelated in meaning to 合羽 the raincoat despite sharing the same pronunciation.

Counted with

匹ひきN3sense 1
As a small, animal-like mythical creature, 河童 is typically counted with 匹 in casual usage.

Word family

おかっぱ
bobbed hair; bob cut

Written forms

河童Usage59%
- かっぱ
  Standard kanji spelling for the mythical creature and its derived senses.
- かわっぱ
  out-dated reading
カッパUsage24%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling used in some contexts, such as menus or casual writing.
かっぱUsage17%
Common kana spelling, especially for the cucumber sushi sense (sense 4) where kana is usually preferred.
かわっぱ
out-dated reading
Obsolete reading; not used in modern Japanese.

Etymology

The word 河童 (kappa) is of uncertain origin. It may derive from 川 (kawa, 'river') and 童 (warawa, 'child'), referring to a river child. The kanji 河童 literally mean 'river child'. The colloquial senses for 'cucumber' and 'cucumber sushi' come from the folk belief that kappa love cucumbers.