also: かわっぱ
kappa; mythical water imp
A legendary creature from Japanese folklore, often depicted as a child-sized humanoid with a turtle-like shell and a dish of water on its head. It inhabits rivers and ponds.
Kappa often appear in old folktales.
excellent swimmer
Only with reading かっぱ / カッパ
Colloquial metaphor likening a skilled swimmer to a kappa. Often used in a lighthearted or admiring way.
He swims just like a kappa.
cucumber
Only with reading かっぱ / カッパ
Colloquial term for cucumber, derived from the kappa's legendary love of cucumbers. Used in casual conversation.
See also: キュウリ
cucumber sushi roll
Only with reading かっぱ / カッパ
Abbreviation of かっぱ巻き, a type of sushi roll filled with cucumber. Usually written in kana. Common on sushi menus.
See also: かっぱ巻き
My little brother swims like a fish.
I was told to watch out for kappa when swimming in the river.
I bought some cucumbers today because they were cheap.
I always order cucumber rolls at the conveyor-belt sushi place.
河童 (also read かっぱ) is the mythical water creature of folklore, completely unrelated in meaning to 合羽 the raincoat despite sharing the same pronunciation.
bobbed hair; bob cut
Standard kanji spelling for the mythical creature and its derived senses.
Katakana spelling used in some contexts, such as menus or casual writing.
Common kana spelling, especially for the cucumber sushi sense (sense 4) where kana is usually preferred.
Obsolete reading; not used in modern Japanese.
The word 河童 (kappa) is of uncertain origin. It may derive from 川 (kawa, 'river') and 童 (warawa, 'child'), referring to a river child. The kanji 河童 literally mean 'river child'. The colloquial senses for 'cucumber' and 'cucumber sushi' come from the folk belief that kappa love cucumbers.