Explore Words Kanji Grammar Guides

Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.

Get the Kotomora apps for iOS and Android.

Explore Words Kanji Grammar Guides About Support Privacy

Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.

堀 (ほり) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

堀ほり

ほ

り

○

Common word›JLPTN3›Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

moat; fosse

Primarily a defensive water-filled trench around a castle or fortification. Also used in historical or metaphorical contexts.

城しろの周まわりには深ふかい堀ほりが巡めぐらされている。
A deep moat runs around the castle.

2

General term for an artificial waterway, drainage ditch, or canal. Often used for smaller or non-defensive channels.

田たんぼの脇わきの堀ほりに水みずが流ながれている。
Water is flowing in the ditch beside the rice field.

Usage patterns

〈場ば所しょ〉の周まわりに堀ほりを巡めぐらすto encircle a place with a moat or canal
城しろの周まわりに深ふかい堀ほりを巡めぐらした。
They dug a deep moat around the castle.
堀ほりを渡わたるto cross a moat or canal
橋はしを使つかって堀ほりを渡わたった。
We crossed the moat using a bridge.
堀ほりに船ふねを浮うかべるto float a boat on a canal or moat
堀ほりに小ちいさな船ふねを浮うかべて観かん光こうする。
Tourists float small boats on the canal for sightseeing.

Kanji

堀ditch, moat, canal
濠moat, ditch, canal
壕trench, dugout, air raid shelter

Related words

溝みぞN1sense 2
溝 refers to a narrow, shallow groove or gutter, whereas 堀 is a larger, often water-filled excavation like a moat or canal.
運うん河がN2sense 2
運河 denotes a large-scale canal built for transportation or navigation, while 堀 can be a smaller ditch, drainage channel, or defensive moat.
壕ごうN1
堀 is the everyday word for a moat or canal, especially around a castle, while 壕 leans toward military trenches or dugouts.
外そと堀ぼり
堀 is the general word for a moat or canal, whereas 外堀 specifically names the outer moat of a castle.

Don't confuse with

掘ほるN3
堀 (ほり) is the noun for a moat or ditch, while 掘る (ほる) is the verb meaning 'to dig'; they share a kanji but differ in reading and part of speech.
堀ほり江え
堀 refers to a moat or ditch (often around a castle), whereas 堀江 specifically denotes a canal used for water transport or drainage.
堀ほり川かわ
堀 refers to a moat or ditch (often around a castle), whereas 堀川 specifically denotes a canal used as a waterway, sometimes for boats.

Word family· 15

堀ほり江え
canal
堀ほり川かわ
canal
外そと堀ぼり
outer moat
釣つり堀ぼり
fishing pond; stocked fish pond

Written forms

堀ほりUsage83%
Standard kanji for moat, canal, or ditch. High priority.
濠ほりUsage11%
Alternate kanji for moat, especially in historical contexts.
ホリUsage4%
ほりUsage2%
壕ほり
Alternate kanji for trench or dugout, sometimes used for moat.

Etymology

The kanji 堀 is a phono-semantic compound with 土 (earth) and 屈 (bend, yield), suggesting an excavated hollow. The reading ほり is native Japanese. The alternate forms 濠 and 壕 share the same reading and similar meanings, with 濠 often used specifically for moats and 壕 for trenches or dugouts.

深ふか掘ぼり

digging deep; mining deep · probing deeply; investigating thoroughly · deepening relations

Show 10 more

内うち堀ぼり
inner moat; moat within the castle walls
空から堀ぼり
dry moat
堀ほり切きり
man-made water channel; artificial trench; moat
掘ほり割わり
canal; waterway; ditch
堀ほり端ばた
side of a moat; moat bank
横よこ堀ぼり
horizontal moat; horizontal trench
竪たて堀ぼり
vertical trench; ascending trench; slope trench
小こ堀ぼり流りゅう
Kobori-ryū; swimming in armor
用よう水すい堀ぼり
irrigation ditch; irrigation canal
堀ほり散ちらす
dig up messily; dig around carelessly