Chinese word

海

Pronunciation

Pinyinhǎi

Meaning

  • nounsea

Example

周末我们去看海吧。zhōu mò wǒ men qù kàn hǎi ba

Let's go see the sea this weekend.

Illustration for 海 (sea)

More examples

海水很咸，我不敢喝。hái shuǐ hěn xián wǒ bù gǎn hē

The seawater is very salty, and I don't dare drink it.

Core concept

A broad, salty water world that links the land to the far horizon.

Common phrases

  • 去海边qù hǎi biān

    go to the seaside

  • 看海kàn hǎi

    look at the sea

  • 海水hái shuǐ

    seawater

Similar words

海边hǎi biān: The area along the sea, including places such as beaches and walking paths.
海滩hǎi tān: A level seaside area covered with sand or pebbles for playing and relaxing.

Definition in Chinese

广阔的盐水水域，通常指连接陆地并向远方延伸的大海。guǎng kuò de yán shuǐ shuǐ yù tōng cháng zhǐ lián jiē lù dì bìng xiàng yuǎn fāng yán shēn de dà hǎi

Word origin

海 (hǎi, "sea") is formed from 氵 (shuǐ, "water") + 每 (měi, "every"); the first part signals the meaning and the second part supplies the sound.

Usage tips

  • For a place beside the water, Chinese commonly uses 海边 (hǎibiān, "seaside"), while 海 (hǎi, "sea") names the body of water itself.

Other meanings

  • oceannoun
  • open seanoun

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word