Meaning
The kanji 氷 means ice — water in its frozen, solid state. Compare it to 水 (water): the two characters differ by exactly one stroke, and that stroke represents the freeze.
Etymologically, 氷 derives from 水. In ancient Chinese script, the ice character showed water with small marks indicating crystallization. Over centuries, this became the modern 氷 — the 水 radical with one extra stroke signaling the shift from liquid to solid. The logic is direct: water gains a stroke and becomes ice.
氷 is taught in Grade 3 of Japanese elementary school, with 5 strokes and the 水 (water) radical. In daily life, it appears constantly — in drinks, winter weather reports, ice sports, and summer desserts like かき氷. A solid grasp of this kanji connects to a broad range of cold-weather and beverage vocabulary.
氷 also carries metaphorical weight. 「氷が解ける」 (the ice melts) describes tension easing between people. 薄氷を踏む (treading on thin ice) signals a precarious situation — the same image as in English.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The on'yomi reading is ヒョウ (hyō). Used mainly in compounds of Chinese or formal Japanese origin, it appears most often in scientific, geographic, and technical vocabulary — icebergs, glaciers, freezing points.
- 氷山 (hyōzan) — iceberg; literally "ice mountain," also used metaphorically (氷山の一角 — the tip of the iceberg)
- 氷河 (hyōga) — glacier; a slow-moving mass of ice
- 氷点 (hyōten) — freezing point; the temperature at which water turns to ice (0°C)
- 氷点下 (hyōtenka) — below freezing; sub-zero temperatures
- 流氷 (ryūhyō) — drift ice; floating chunks of ice seen in cold seas
- 製氷 (seihyō) — ice making; production of ice, as in an ice machine
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
こおり (kōri) is the everyday native word for ice — the reading you'll hear most often in conversation and in standalone words. A less common kun'yomi, ひ (hi), survives mainly in the literary compound 薄氷 (thin ice) and is rarely used in modern speech.
- 氷 (kōri) — ice (standalone, conversational)
- 氷水 (kōrimizu) — ice water
- 氷袋 (kōribukuro) — ice bag; used to cool injuries
- かき氷 (kakigōri) — shaved ice; a popular Japanese summer dessert
- 氷柱 (tsurara) — icicle; a hanging spike of ice formed by dripping water that freezes
Common Words & Compounds
氷 appears in compound words spanning everyday life, nature, food, and science. Below are key terms grouped by theme.
Nature & Geography
- 氷山 (hyōzan) — iceberg
- 氷河 (hyōga) — glacier
- 流氷 (ryūhyō) — drift ice, pack ice
- 氷原 (hyōgen) — ice field, snowfield
- 氷柱 (tsurara) — icicle
Temperature & Science
- 氷点 (hyōten) — freezing point (0°C)
- 氷点下 (hyōtenka) — below freezing, sub-zero
- 氷結 (hyōketsu) — freezing, icing over
- 薄氷 (hakuhyō) — thin ice (also used metaphorically)
Food & Daily Life
- かき氷 (kakigōri) — shaved ice dessert
- 氷水 (kōrimizu) — ice water
- 製氷 (seihyō) — ice making (製氷機 = ice machine)
- 氷袋 (kōribukuro) — ice pack, ice bag
- 氷上 (hyōjō) — on ice (as in skating or ice sports)
Example Sentences
冷蔵庫に氷がありますか？
Reizōko ni kōri ga arimasu ka?
Is there any ice in the refrigerator?
夏はかき氷が食べたいです。
Natsu wa kakigōri ga tabetai desu.
In summer, I want to eat shaved ice.
飲み物に氷を入れてください。
Nomimono ni kōri wo irete kudasai.
Please put ice in my drink.
池の水が氷になりました。
Ike no mizu ga kōri ni narimashita.
The water in the pond turned into ice.
今朝は氷点下まで気温が下がりました。
Kesa wa hyōtenka made kion ga sagarimashita.
This morning, the temperature dropped below freezing.
北海道では冬に流氷が見られます。
Hokkaidō de wa fuyu ni ryūhyō ga miraremasu.
In Hokkaido, you can see drift ice in winter.
足をくじいたので、氷袋で冷やしました。
Ashi wo kujita node, kōribukuro de hiyashimashita.
I sprained my ankle, so I cooled it with an ice pack.
氷山の一角にすぎないと思います。
Hyōzan no ikkaku ni suginai to omoimasu.
I think it's just the tip of the iceberg.
選手たちは氷上で華やかに演技しました。
Senshu-tachi wa hyōjō de hanayaka ni engi shimashita.
The athletes performed brilliantly on the ice.
川が氷結して、渡れなくなりました。
Kawa ga hyōketsu shite, watarenaku narimashita.
The river froze over and became impassable.
Memory Tip
Put 水 (water) and 氷 (ice) side by side. One extra stroke separates them. Picture that stroke as a crack forming the moment water freezes — liquid becoming solid. When you write 氷, slow down on that final stroke and visualize the transformation.
The 水→氷 link also helps with compounds. Most 氷 vocabulary involves water-based phenomena — rivers, ponds, oceans — simply in frozen form. One stroke, one state change.