条 tiáo — measure word for long; thin things (i.e. ribbon; river; etc.); a strip; item
我家有一条小狗。Wǒ jiā yǒu yì tiáo xiǎo gǒu.My family has a little dog.
Common words: 面条儿 (miàn tiáo r)、条件 (tiáo jiàn)、面条 (miàn tiáo)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "river"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "river", including 条 (tiáo), 河 (hé), 江 (jiāng), 川 (chuān). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "river" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 条 (tiáo), 河 (hé), 江 (jiāng), 川 (chuān) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span tiáo, hé, jiāng, chuān — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 条 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 条 tiáomeasure word for long; thin things (i.e. ribbon; river; etc.); a strip; itemUseful words: 面条儿, 条件
- 河 hériverUseful words: 河流, 运河
- 江 jiāngriverUseful words: 江面, 江心
- 川 chuānriver; creek; plain; an area of level countryUseful words: 川流不息, 山川
Common words for these 4 "river" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 条 (tiáo) — so "river" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
面条儿miàn tiáo rcolloquial (-r) form of 面条条件tiáo jiàncondition; circumstance; term; factor面条miàn tiáonoodles河流hé liúriver运河yùn hécanal河畔hé pànriverside; river plain江面jiāng miànthe surface of the river江心jiāng xīnmiddle of a river江水jiāng shuǐriver water川流不息chuān liú bù xīthe stream flows without stopping (idiom); unending flow
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 4 ways to say "river".
河 hé — river
这条河的水又清又凉。Zhè tiáo hé de shuǐ yòu qīng yòu liáng.The water of this river is clear and cool.
Common words: 河流 (hé liú)、运河 (yùn hé)、河畔 (hé pàn)
江 jiāng — river
长江是中国最长的河流。Cháng jiāng shì Zhōng guó zuì cháng de hé liú.The Yangtze is the longest river in China.
Common words: 江面 (jiāng miàn)、江心 (jiāng xīn)、江水 (jiāng shuǐ)
川 chuān — river; creek; plain; an area of level country
四川是中国的一个省。Sì chuān shì Zhōng guó de yí ge shěng.Sichuan is a province in China.
Common words: 川流不息 (chuān liú bù xī)、山川 (shān chuān)、平川 (píng chuān)
All 4 characters
Open 条、河、江 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.