Kuroshio

K5U1R1O1S1H4I1O1
/ˌkʊəɹəʊˈʃiːəʊ/

proper noun

The oceanic current forming the swift, warm, northward-flowing western quarter of the North Pacific Gyre.

Similar
Japan CurrentBlack CurrentBlack StreamKuroshio current
UncommonScrabble 15

Meanings

proper noun

alternative Kuro Shio · alternative Kuro Siwo · alternative Kurosiwo

  1. usuallygeographyThe oceanic current forming the swift, warm, northward-flowing western quarter of the North Pacific Gyre.

    Between Fatsisio and Mikura a current to the eastward is marked, called the Kuro Siwo Stream.

    1851, Alexander G. Findlay, A directory for the navigation of the Pacific Ocean; with description of its coasts, islands, etc., from the Strait of Magalhaens to the Arctic Sea, and those of Asia and Australia; its winds, currents, and other phenomena. Part I. The coasts of the Pacific Ocean, London: R. H. Laurie, page 635
    1 more example

    Still less must we forget the mighty river in the sea—the Kuroshio, or “Black Current”—which, flowing northwards from the direction of Formosa and the Philippine Islands, warms the southern and south-eastern coasts of Japan much as the Gulf Stream warms the coasts of western Europe.

    1890, Basil Hall Chamberlain, Things Japanese: Being Notes on Various Subjects Connected with Japan, London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., Ltd., page 134

    Synonyms: Japan Current, Black Current, Black Stream

Synonyms & antonyms

proper nounThe oceanic current forming the swift, warm, northward-flowing western quarter of the North Pacific Gyre.

Similar
Japan CurrentBlack CurrentBlack Stream

More synonyms by meaning

nouna warm ocean current that flows northeastwardly off the coast of Japan into the northern Pacific ocean

Similar
Japan currentKuroshio current

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Japanese黒潮“Black Tide”
  2. EnglishKuroshio

Borrowed from the romaji transcription of Japanese 黒潮 (Kuroshio, “Black Tide”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 黑潮, 日本暖流
  • 黑潮 (hēicháo)oceanic current
  • 日本暖流 (Rìběn Nuǎnliú)oceanic current
Finnish Kurosivo, Kuroshio
  • Kurosivooceanic current
  • Kuroshiooceanic current
Greek κουροσίβο, κούρο σίβο
  • κουροσίβο (kourosívo)oceanic current
  • κούρο σίβο (koúro sívo)oceanic current
Japanese 黒潮
  • 黒潮 (Kuroshio)oceanic current
Polish Kuro Siwo
  • Kuro Siwooceanic current
Cite this entry
APA

Kuroshio. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kuroshio

MLA

“Kuroshio.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kuroshio. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Kuroshio,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kuroshio.

Source: Kuroshio on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.