water radical; radical 85
Refers to the three-stroke water radical 氵, used on the left side of many kanji related to water or liquid.
The left-hand part of 海 or 池 is called 三水.
Colloquial, originally police jargon. Refers to bribery or illicit profit, especially in official contexts.
That politician was apparently caught for corruption.
Dated slang for alcohol. Rarely used today; modern speakers would normally say 酒 or アルコール.
In old slang, alcohol was sometimes called 三水.
Standard kanji spelling for the radical name.
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the kanji 三水 is not needed.
The radical name 三水 literally means 'three water', referring to the three dots of the water radical 氵. The slang meanings are likely derived from the water association (corruption as 'dirty money' and alcohol as a liquid), but the exact derivation is uncertain.