Kivesjärvi is a medium-sized lake in Paltamo, Finland.

Curiously, the name Kivesjärvi literally means "testicle lake".

Some say that the name derive from old giant-related folklore around the region, some say that the name originally related to the ancient word for gillnet weight, "kives", and only later became associated with the modern meaning of the word.

In the 19th century the timber rafting workers needed a shorter route to the Oulujärvi.

They made a new river named Varisjoki, and most of the outflow started to flow via it,[2] although Kivesjärvi is still a bifurcation lake.