大おお川かわ

also: たいせん

お

か

わ

Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

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.

Usage patterns

〈場ば所しょ〉に大おお川かわが流ながれるa big river flows through 〈place〉
この町まちには大おお川かわが流ながれている。
A big river flows through this town.
大おお川かわを渡わたるto cross a big river
船ふねで大おお川かわを渡わたった。
We crossed the big river by boat.
大おお川かわが氾はん濫らんするa big river floods/overflows
台たい風ふうで大おお川かわが氾はん濫らんした。
The big river flooded because of the typhoon.

Kanji

大large, big
川stream, river, river or three-stroke river radical (no. 47)

Related words

大たい河が
大河 is a more literary or formal term for a great river, often used in titles or poetic descriptions, while 大川 is a plain, everyday word for a big river.

Opposites

小お川がわN1
小川 refers to a small stream or brook, the opposite in scale to a 大川, which is a big river.

Built from

大おお+川かわ

Written forms

大川Usage100%
- おおかわ
  Standard kanji spelling for the common reading おおかわ.
- たいせん
  Rare on-reading; mostly found in proper nouns or literary contexts.
オオカワUsage<1%
たいせん

Etymology

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.