Refers to a navigable channel or fairway in a body of water, often marked by buoys or natural features.
The ship entered the port along the channel.
The trail of disturbed water left behind a moving vessel.
A white wake stretched out behind the ship.
A channel has formed in the tidal flat.
The large ship left a long wake behind as it departed.
The fishing boat followed the channel back to the harbor.
航路 refers broadly to a shipping route or sea lane, whereas 澪 denotes a specific, often marked navigable channel within a body of water.
航跡 is the standard term for a ship's wake, and 澪 is used more poetically or traditionally for the same trailing water pattern.
水路 is the general word for a waterway or canal, while 澪 specifically means a channel deep enough for boats to pass through, often in shallow or tidal waters.
channel markers; buoys in a waterway
Most common kanji for みお; used for both waterway and wake senses.
Alternate kanji for the waterway/channel sense; literally 'water vein'.
Rare kanji for the wake sense; literally 'water tail'.
Derived from 水 (mi, 'water') + 緒 (o, 'cord, thread'), referring to a thread-like water channel. The kanji 澪 is a kokuji (Japanese-made character) combining 氵 (water) and 零 (zero/fall), possibly suggesting a path through water.