Refers to a stream in a mountain or hilly area, often with a sense of a small valley or ravine. The word evokes a natural, scenic watercourse.
The climbers descended the mountain stream and came out at a river.
The murmur of the mountain stream is pleasant.
There are many small fish in this mountain stream.
Refers to a low-lying, waterlogged area such as a swamp or marsh. This sense is less common than the 'mountain stream' meaning and may appear in place names or descriptive contexts.
Rare plants grow in that marsh.
Walking along the mountain stream, you can feel a cool breeze.
渓流 is a slightly more literary term for a mountain stream, whereas 沢 is the everyday word often used in place names and hiking contexts.
沢 refers to a mountain stream or marshy valley and is common in mountaineering contexts, whereas 谷川 simply names the stream itself.
Japanese freshwater crab
marshy land; swampy ground
heartleaf hornbeam
mountain stream water
route beside a mountain stream
Eleorchis japonica (species of orchid)
edge of a swamp; marshy shore
utazawa; slow-paced shamisen music with vocals
schooner-style ship built at the end of the Shogunate
Standard kanji spelling for both senses.
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the intended sense is clear from context.
The kanji 沢 originally means 'marsh' or 'swamp' in Chinese, and in Japanese it has extended to mean a mountain stream or valley, likely due to the association of water in such landscapes. The reading さわ is a native Japanese word (kun'yomi).
Lobelia sessilifolia; a species of lobelia
stream climbing; sawanobori