The movement of a liquid or gas in a continuous stream; a physical current (e.g., river current, airflow, blood flow).
今朝は川の流れが速くて危ない。
The river's current is fast this morning and it's dangerous.
運動すると血の流れが良くなる。
When you exercise, your blood circulation improves.
工場の換気を改善して空気の流れを良くした。
We improved the factory's ventilation to get better airflow.
The movement or passage of people or things; the passage of time; shifts in trends or tendencies (e.g., flow of people, tide of fashion).
祭りの終了後、駅に向かう人の流れができた。
After the festival ended, a stream of people headed to the station.
時の流れを感じる写真展だった。
It was a photo exhibition that made you feel the passage of time.
最近の消費の流れはオンライン重視だ。
The recent trend in consumption focuses on online channels.
朝の通勤時間は車の流れがかなり速い。
Traffic flows quite quickly during the morning commute.
The course or sequence of events; the step-by-step procedure or process by which something is done.
会議の流れをあらかじめ説明しておきます。
I'll explain the flow of the meeting in advance.
申請書の処理の流れがウェブで確認できる。
You can check the processing procedure for the application online.
プロジェクトの流れを整理してから作業に入ろう。
Let's organize the project's workflow before starting work.
A group of people who move together after an event (a cluster of people leaving together).
コンサートが終わると、会場を出る人の流れができた。
When the concert ended, a flow of people left the venue.
打ち上げの流れで有志が二次会に行った。
Following the party's flow, some volunteers went to a second gathering.
Lineage, ancestry, or school (tradition); a lineage or school of thought/technique inherited over time.
この流派は茶道の古い流れをくんでいる。
This school follows an old tradition of the tea ceremony.
彼の絵は印象派の流れを感じさせる。
His paintings evoke the influence of the Impressionist tradition.
この家系は武士の流れを汲んでいると言われる。
It is said that this family traces its ancestry to the samurai.
In finance, the process leading to forfeiture or foreclosure (the procedural flow that results in loss of rights, such as seizure or auction).
滞納が続くと、担保物は競売にかけられて流れになることがある。
If arrears continue, the collateral may be auctioned off and forfeited.
Cancellation or the falling through of plans or agreements (often used as お流れ).
台風のため遠足はお流れになった。
The field trip was canceled because of the typhoon.
交渉がまとまらず、話はお流れになった。
The negotiations didn't conclude, and the matter fell through.
Drifting or roaming; wandering without a fixed place. Figuratively, an unclear or aimless movement/state.
彼は若い頃、海外を流れ歩いていたらしい。
Apparently he wandered around overseas in his youth.
情報の流れが不明確で、決断が遅れた。
The flow of information was unclear, and the decision was delayed.