The Černá river (Black) is a right tributary of the Malše river. It springs in Austria near the village Schwarzau on the slope of Barenstein mountain (1,003 m). It runs through the Novohradské Hory (Nové Hrady Mountains) in the north-western direction all the way.

It is 17.5 km long and the area of its basin is 75 square km. The Černá river empties into the Malše river about 3 km north-east of the town Kaplice near the small village Žďár. The Soběnov Dam, the oldest functional dam in South Bohemia, dams the river about 8 km east of Kaplice.

The instructional trail Údolím Černé ("Through the Valley of the Černá river") leads along a part of the river.