氷河

• Reading: ひょうが
• Romaji: hyouga
• Kanji breakdown: 氷 (kōri/hyō) — ice; 河 (kawa/ga) — river, large watercourse
• Pronunciation: /çjoː.ɡa/

Meaning

Glacier. A large, slow-moving mass of compacted ice formed from accumulated snowfall over thousands of years, found in polar regions and high mountain areas.

A sino-Japanese compound describing a river-like body of ice. Glaciers shape landscapes through erosion, carving U-shaped valleys and fjords. In contemporary usage, 氷河 frequently appears in climate-change discussions as glacial retreat is a key indicator of global warming. The compound 氷河期 (ice age) is also commonly used in both scientific and colloquial speech.

Examples

1. 地球温暖化の影響で、極地の氷河が急速に縮小していることが確認された。 It has been confirmed that polar glaciers are shrinking rapidly due to the effects of global warming.
2. 氷河の侵食によって形成されたU字谷は、スイスの代表的な地形の一つだ。 U-shaped valleys formed by glacial erosion are one of Switzerland's representative landforms.
3. その氷河は数万年かけて堆積した雪が圧縮されたものだと研究者は説明した。 The researcher explained that the glacier is composed of snow compressed over tens of thousands of years.

Usage Guide

Context: geography, climate change, geology

Tone: descriptive

Origin & History

Sino-Japanese compound. 氷 (kōri/hyō) means ice, and 河 (kawa/ga) means a large river or watercourse. The compound describes ice behaving like a river — slowly flowing under its own weight.

Cultural Context

Era: Meiji–Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal