Word
流れる
Meaning in Englishto flow, to be washed away
Animated kanji stroke order
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)