Meaning

Primary

Mountain Stream

Alternative

Swamp

Word Type

noun

Explanation

The kanji and the word share the meaning of swamp, but this word is primarily used to mean mountain stream. Think of it this way, the water for a swamp has to come from somewhere right? It starts out up in the mountains and drains out into a swamp in the valley. The life cycle of a mountain stream into a swamp!

Reading

さわ
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

Since this word is made up of a single kanji, it probably uses the kun'yomi reading. You did not learn this reading, so here's a mnemonic to help you to remember: The beginning of the word swamp is actually pretty similar to this word's reading. さわ = "swa"? I'd say it's close enough to make a mnemonic out of in your head.

Context

Patterns of Use

Common Word Combinations

  • 沢を渡る

    to cross a mountain stream

    沢を登る

    to ascend a mountain stream

    沢を横切る

    to cut across a mountain stream

Context Sentences

とても美しい沢ですね。

Isn’t this a really beautiful mountain stream?

この沢には沢ガニなど、たくさんの生き物が住んでいます。

Many creatures such as freshwater crabs live in this stream.

沢の音を聞きながら歩くのが好きなんです。

I like walking while listening to the sound of the stream.

フロリダのとある沢のほとりで、巨大なワニを見ました。

I saw a gigantic alligator near a swamp in Florida.

Kanji Composition