Only when written 瀬
A shallow place in a river or stream, often contrasted with 淵, a deep pool.
See also: 淵
川の瀬を歩いて渡った。
We walked across the shallows of the river.
rapids; swift current; torrent
Refers to a part of a river where the water runs fast; common in descriptions of rivers, canoeing, and natural scenery.
カヌーは激しい瀬を下っていった。
The canoe went down the rough rapids.
Only when written 瀬
Limited and somewhat literary in modern Japanese, especially in compounds or set phrases such as 逢う瀬, a chance or occasion to meet.
After being scolded in front of everyone, he had no place to stand.
The two looked forward to their once-a-year chance to meet.
急流 explicitly means a fast, rushing current, whereas 瀬 refers more specifically to the particular rapid section of a river.
機会 is the ordinary word for an opportunity, while 瀬 in this sense survives only in literary or fixed expressions like 逢う瀬.
瀬 is the broader word covering shallows, currents, or rapids in a river, whereas 高瀬 specifically denotes a shallow stretch.
瀬 broadly means shallows or a stretch of river, while 早瀬 adds the nuance of fast-moving water.
瀬 is a shallow, fast-flowing part of a river, while 淵 is a deep, still pool, and the two are traditionally paired as opposites.
strait; channel
shallow river; river shallows · flatboat; river boat
shoal; shallows; sand bar; ford
Japanese wobbegong; Japanese carpet shark; fringe shark
miserable; wretched; helplessly sad
rapids; shallows
swift current; rapids
secret lovers' meeting; rendezvous; tryst
sea current; tidal current
Standard kanji spelling for the physical river meanings and for fixed abstract expressions such as 立つ瀬 and 逢う瀬.
Rare alternative kanji associated with fast-flowing water or rapids; not a practical spelling for the abstract idiomatic senses.
Native Japanese せ with conventional kanji spellings for water-related meanings. The character 瀬 uses the water radical, matching the river sense; the historical derivation of the word itself is uncertain. 湍 is a rare alternative character associated with rapids or swift water.
nakaseite
many rapids; many torrents
Japonolirion osense
sailing trawlnet
drying up of a riverbed surface
ship-to-ship cargo transfer; off-shore delivery into smaller boats
Corbicula sandai; Seta freshwater clam
sounding out; measuring the depths
one's standing; one's face; one's honor