also: かわろう
noun
kappa; water imp
Mythical water-dwelling creature from Japanese folklore, often depicted as a mischievous humanoid with a dish on its head. This is the primary meaning in modern usage.
See also: 河童
河童は河伯とも呼ばれることがある。
Kappa are sometimes also called 河伯.
昔話にはよく河伯が登場する。
Kappa often appear in old tales.
noun
river god; river deity
Only when written 河伯
Rare, classical meaning referring to a deity or spirit of a river. Restricted to the kanji form 河伯. Not commonly used in modern Japanese outside of historical or mythological contexts.
中国の神話では、河伯は黄河の神とされている。
In Chinese mythology, 河伯 is considered the god of the Yellow River.
Alternate kanji form for the kappa sense, read かわろう. Rare and possibly dialectal or folkloric.
河童 is the standard modern word for the mythical kappa creature. 河伯 is a less common synonym, sometimes used in literature or regional dialects.
The kanji 河 (river) and 伯 (chief, elder) literally mean 'river chief', originally referring to a river deity. The reading かはく is the on'yomi. The form 河郎 (かわろう) uses 郎 (young man) and may be a folk etymology or dialectal variant for the kappa sense.