also: たいせん
big river; large river
General term for a large river. Often used in place names. The reading おおかわ is the common kun-reading; たいせん is a rare on-reading.
See also: 大河
A big river flows through this town.
This big river flows along the prefectural border.
There is a small settlement on the banks of the large river.
We crossed the big river by boat.
The big river flooded because of the typhoon.
小川 refers to a small stream or brook, the opposite in scale to a 大川, which is a big river.
Standard kanji spelling for the common reading おおかわ.
Rare on-reading; mostly found in proper nouns or literary contexts.
Compound of 大 (big) and 川 (river). The reading おおかわ is the native Japanese kun-reading; たいせん is the Sino-Japanese on-reading, which is rare for this word.