[Day 61] 海 - sea
Days 61-70
R-report
[Day 61] 海 - sea
Etymology / origin: 海 is a semantic-phonetic character — the left side is the water radical (氵) indicating meanings related to water, and the right side is a phonetic element (historically related to 毎/母) that suggests pronunciation. Core meaning & usage: The primary meaning is “sea; ocean.” This kanji appears frequently in everyday vocabulary about geography, travel, weather by the coast, and leisure (beach activities). You'll see it in place names, travel phrases, and common compounds like 海外 (overseas) and 海岸 (coast). Readings: (short examples are shown below in the vocabulary section as well)
Readings
On'yomi: **カイ** (kai) Kun'yomi: **うみ** (umi)
Related words
- 海（うみ / umi） — sea / ocean • 私は**海**へ行きます。 (Watashi wa umi e ikimasu. — I'm going to the sea.)
- 海外（かいがい / kaigai） — overseas; abroad • 彼は**海**外で働いています。 (Kare wa kaigai de hataraite imasu. — He works overseas.)
- 海岸（かいがん / kaigan） — coast; shoreline • 私たちは**海**岸を散歩しました。 (Watashitachi wa kaigan o sanpo shimashita. — We walked along the coast.)
- 海辺（うみべ / umibe） — seaside; seaside area • 子どもたちは**海**辺で貝を集めていました。 (Kodomotachi wa umibe de kai o atsumete imashita. — The children were collecting shells by the seaside.)
- 海水浴（かいすいよく / kaisuiyoku） — sea bathing; swimming at the beach • 夏に**海**水浴に行くのが好きです。 (Natsu ni kaisuiyoku ni iku no ga suki desu. — I like going to the beach to swim in summer.)