小川|おがわogawa[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounstream; brook; creek
   小川おがわがさらさらと流ながれる音おとが聞きこえる。↗

   We can hear a brook murmuring.

• Synonym細流さいりゅうWrittenWritten/formal word for a thin stream, used mostly in geographic description; rare in everyday speech.
• RelatedせせらぎNeutralNeutral word for a babbling stream or the murmuring sound itself, as in 「せせらぎの音」; it stresses the sound and mood of the water, while 「小川」 stresses the stream itself.
• Antonym大河たいがNeutralNeutral word for a large river; the opposite of 「小川」 in the size of the waterway.

For a clear, shallow small stream say 「小川」, as in 「小川のほとり」 and 「春の小川」. When the focus is the sound or mood of the water, use 「せせらぎ」; in written prose 「細流」 fits. The opposite is 「大河」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 日本人にほんじんの姓せいのひとつ。