Word
流れる
Meaning in Englishto flow, to be washed away
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Word context
What it means
Flow is the core meaning of 流れる: to move continuously along a path of water or other liquid. It describes liquids in motion, rivers and streams, and can extend metaphorically to time, information, or phenomena that progress smoothly.
Main meanings
- Physical flow of liquids, rivers, or gases as subject in motion
- Metaphorical flow of time, information, or intangible phenomena that progress smoothly
- Flow of sound, light, or other phenomena that appear to move or spread
- More broadly, something carried along by a current or influence
How to use it
In concrete contexts it appears with liquids and natural streams; in abstract contexts it describes time, information, or music that progresses without interruption. The verb is intransitive; the polite form 流れます is used in formal contexts; common constructions include 水が流れる and 時間が流れる.
Variants and close terms
- 流れる (nagare-ru): intransitive flow
- 流す (nagasu): transitive, to cause to flow or to stream something, to publish
- 流通する (ryūtsū suru): to circulate (goods, information)
Composition
- 流: water-related concept indicating movement and flow
- れる: okurigana marking verb inflection; joins the stem 流 to form the intransitive verb
Word class
verb (godan, intransitive)
Word
Related words by kanji and components
N1
流し
nagashi
sink
N1
海流
kairyuu
ocean current
N1
気流
kiryuu
atmospheric current
N1
流通
ryuutsuu
circulation of money or goods, distribution
N2
～流
～ryuu
fashion, manner, way
N2
一流
ichiryuu
first class, leading
N2
交流
kouryuu
exchange; alternating current
N2
合流
gouryuu
confluence, merge, join
N2
流石
sasuga
indeed, truly, as one would expect
Kanji