流れ|ながれnagare[3]odaka (tail-high)

1. nounflow (of a fluid or gas); stream; current
   流ながれは池いけに注そそいでいる。↗

   The stream falls into the pond.
2. nounflow (of people, things); passage (of time); tide; passing; (changing) trends; tendency
   田中たなかさんの教おしえるのは歴史れきしの流ながれに逆さからう。↗

   Tanaka's teaching goes against the stream of history.
3. nouncourse (of events); (step-by-step) procedure; process
   こういう流ながれになると結局けっきょく、どんぐりの背比せいくらべになる。↗

   Once things start going this way, in the end they'll all be much of a muchness.
4. noungroup of people who remain together after the end of an event
5. noundescent; ancestry; school
   社会しゃかいエコロジーが現代げんだいの環境かんきょう保護ほごの第だい２の流ながれであるという観点かんてんを特とくに強調きょうちょうしておきたい。↗

   I would like to put special emphasis on the concept that social ecology is the second school of contemporary environmentalism.
6. noun, financeforfeiture; foreclosure
7. nouncancellationusu. as お流れ
8. noundrifting; wandering; roaming

• Synonym水流すいりゅうWrittenWritten term for the movement of water, often describing how strong or fast it is, as in 「水流が速い」; 流れ also covers people, time, and events.
• Synonym流水りゅうすいWrittenWritten word for flowing water itself, as in 「流水で洗う」 or 「行雲流水」; not used for abstract processes or courses of events.
• SynonymフローNeutralLoanword used mainly for business processes and economic flows, as in 「作業フロー」 and 「キャッシュフロー」; fairly technical.
• Synonym動向どうこうWrittenWritten term for the movements and direction of people, organizations, or markets, as in 「市場の動向」; focuses on where something is heading.
• Synonym流動りゅうどうWrittenWritten term for being unsettled and constantly shifting, as in 「流動的な情勢」; in accounting 「流動資産」 is a separate technical use.
• SynonymトレンドNeutralLoanword for trends and fashions, as in 「今年のトレンド」; only the trend sense of 流れ, never a flow of water.
• Synonym趨勢すうせいWrittenWritten term for the overall direction things are developing in, as in 「時代の趨勢」; strongly literary, matching only the trend sense of 流れ.
• SynonymストリームNeutralLoanword for streams of liquid or gas; today mostly in IT terms such as data streams and live streaming, rarely used alone in daily conversation.
• Related流通りゅうつうWrittenWritten term for the circulation of money and goods in society, or ventilation, as in 「流通経路」; 流れ is broader in meaning.
• Related流出りゅうしゅつWrittenWritten term used only for outflows, as in 「人材流出」 and 「情報流出」; often carries a negative nuance.
• Related潮流ちょうりゅうWrittenWritten term for tidal currents or the trend of the times, as in 「時代の潮流」; more literary and sweeping in scale than 流れ.
• RelatedコースNeutralCovers routes, lanes, and courses of study, stressing a preset path; 流れ stresses a natural, unfolding process.
• Related連続れんぞくNeutralFor things happening one after another without a break, as in 「三日連続」; 流れ stresses a continuous unfolding process, not a count of times.
• Antonym淀みよどみWrittenAntonym: stagnation of water or a hitch in speech, as in 「よどみなく話す」; the opposite of 流れ's smooth flow.

Use 「流れ」 as the default for flows of water, people, time, and events. For trends pick 「トレンド」 or 「趨勢」; for the circulation of goods 「流通」; for outflows 「流出」; for business processes 「フロー」. 「水流」 and 「流水」 are written words for water, 「潮流」 and 「動向」 for broad directions of change, 「ストリーム」 is IT jargon, and 「淀み」 is the opposite—stagnation.

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

1. 「ながれる」の未然形みぜんけい。
2. 「ながれる」の連用形れんようけい。
3. 流体りゅうたいが一方いっぽう方向ほうこうに動うごくこと。
4. 時間じかんの経過けいか。
5. 特定とくていの時代じだいや時期じきにおける精神的せいしんてきな背景はいけい。
6. その場ばのいきおい。はずみ。なりゆき。
7. 流ながれる水みずや川かわ。
8. 時代じだいを経へて区分くぶんされる特定とくていの集団しゅうだんの仲間なかま分わけ。
9. 特定とくていの催し物もよおしものの後あとの小しょう集団しゅうだんの行動こうどう。二に次じ会かいなど。
10. ある決きめられた順序じゅんじょによる配列はいれつ。
11. さすらうこと。いつどうなるかわからない境遇きょうぐうにおちいること。多おおくは遊女ゆうじょになることを言ゆう。
12. さすらい人びと。通常つうじょうは遊女ゆうじょを言ゆう。
13. 目上めうえの者ものから注そそいで貰もらう酒さけ。おながれ。
14. 催もよおしが実施じっしされずに終おわること。おながれ。
15. 屋根やねのうち、棟むねから軒のきにかけての傾かたむいた部分ぶぶん。
16. 質屋しちやへ預あずけた物ものを受け出うけだす期限きげんが切きれて、所有権しょゆうけんを失うしなうこと。
17. 「旗はた」などの細長ほそながいものを数かぞえるための助数詞じょすうし。