The Tarcău (Hungarian: Tarkő) is a right tributary of the river Bistrița in Romania. It discharges into the Bistrița in the village Tarcău. It flows through the villages Ardeluța, Schitu Tarcău, Brateș, Cazaci and Tarcău. Its length is 33 km (21 mi) and its basin size is 392 km2 (151 sq mi). The Hungarian name means "baldstone". The Romanian name derives from that.