海

hǎi
#189 most
frequent character
sea
noun
Measure words:个 gè,片 piàn

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

海 has 氵 water as its meaning part and 每 měi as a sound part, though the sound link is not clear today. It first meant 'sea, ocean'. That meaning has stayed the same.

海 as a component in other characters

sound1 character
嗨

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Example Sentences

我喜欢在海边散步。
wǒ xǐhuān zài hǎibiān sànbù 。
I like to walk by the sea.
海里有很多鱼。
hǎilǐ yǒu hěnduō yú 。
There are many fish in the sea.
他们去海滩游泳。
tāmen qù hǎitān yóuyǒng 。
They went swimming at the beach.

Words with similar meanings

湖hú
lake
A lake is a smaller body of water surrounded by land, unlike the vastness of the sea.
洋yáng
ocean
The ocean refers specifically to larger bodies of saltwater, which can also be considered a type of sea.

Words Starting With 海

海洋hǎi yáng
ocean
海关hǎi guān
customs (i.e. border crossing inspection)
海鲜hǎi xiān
seafood
海拔hǎi bá
height above sea level; elevation
海滨hǎi bīn
shore; seaside

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