also: かわっぱ
noun
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.
昔話にはよく河童が登場する。
Kappa often appear in old folktales.
川で泳ぐときは河童に気をつけろと言われた。
I was told to watch out for kappa when swimming in the river.
noun
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.
彼はまるで河童のように泳ぐ。
He swims just like a kappa.
noun
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: 胡瓜
今日は河童が安かったから買ってきた。
I bought some cucumbers today because they were cheap.
noun
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
回転寿司でいつもかっぱを頼む。
I always order cucumber rolls at the conveyor-belt sushi place.
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.