運うん河が

う

ん

が

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun

canal; waterway

Refers to man-made navigable waterways for transportation or irrigation. Common in geographic and engineering contexts.

パナマ運うん河がは太たい平へい洋ようと大たい西せい洋ようを結むすんでいる。
The Panama Canal connects the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
この運うん

河が

は

江え

戸ど

時じ

代だい

に

造つく

ら

れ

た

。

This canal was built in the Edo period.

Kanji

運carry, luck, destiny
河river

Similar words

水すい路ろ
水路 is a broader term for any water channel, natural or artificial, while 運河 specifically refers to navigable canals.
河か川せん
河川 refers to natural rivers and streams, whereas 運河 is man-made.

Etymology

Compound of 運 (transport) and 河 (river), literally 'transport river'. The term was coined in the Meiji era to translate Western concepts of artificial waterways.