What is the Kanji for "Sea"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Sea", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Sea" is "海".

This kanji has 2 readings:

Its kunyomi reading is "Umi".

Its onyomi reading is "Kai".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The radical "氵" means "Water" . And The kanji "毎" means "Every" and can be read as "Mai".

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "海" mean in japanese?

"海" means "Sea".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Second Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N4 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

海: "Sea". The noun '海 (うみ)' refers to a large body of salt water that covers much of the Earth's surface. It is used to describe the oceans as well as smaller bodies of seawater. The sea is an important part of many cultures and economies, providing resources, transportation, and recreation. For example: The blue sea stretches out as far as the eye can see - (青い海が目の届く範囲まで広がっています). I love going to the beach and looking out at the vast sea - (私は海岸に行って広大な海を眺めるのが好きです).

海外: "Foreign". The noun '海外 (かいがい)' means 'foreign'. This word refers to places, countries, or regions that are outside one's own country or homeland. It is commonly used to describe international destinations, travel, or business dealings. For example: I went on a trip to a foreign country - (私は海外の国に旅行に行きました). Foreign companies are expanding into our market - (海外の企業が私たちの市場に進出しています).

海軍: "Navy". The Japanese word '海軍 (かいぐん)' refers to the naval military force of a country. It is a noun that describes the armed forces that operate on the sea and control naval operations. The '海軍' is responsible for the protection of a country's maritime interests and resources. For example: The Japanese navy is one of the most advanced in the world - (日本の海軍は世界でもっとも先進的な一つである)

海岸: "Coast". The Japanese noun '海岸 (かいがん)' means 'coast'. This word refers to the land along the edge of an ocean, sea, or other large body of water. It is often used to describe the shoreline and adjacent areas. For example: Let's go for a walk along the coast - (海岸を散歩しましょう). The view from the coast is beautiful - (海岸からの景色は美しい).

海洋: "Ocean". The noun '海洋 (かいよう)' means 'ocean'. It refers to the vast body of salt water that covers much of the Earth's surface. Oceans are essential to the planet's ecology and play a crucial role in regulating the global climate. For example: The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean on Earth - (太平洋は地球上最大の海洋です). The ocean currents affect the weather patterns - (海洋の海流は気象パターンに影響する).

海流: "Ocean current". The Japanese noun '海流 (かいりゅう)' refers to the large-scale movement of ocean water, driven by factors such as wind, temperature, and salinity differences. Ocean currents play a crucial role in regulating global climate and weather patterns. For example: The warm ocean current keeps this region mild in the winter - (この地域は、暖かい海流のため、冬も穏やかな気候が続く). Ocean currents influence marine ecosystems and the distribution of marine life - (海流は海洋生態系や海洋生物の分布に影響を及ぼす).

海水浴: "Swimming". The verbal noun '海水浴 (かいすいよく)' means 'swimming'. This word refers to the act of swimming, specifically in the ocean or sea. It is commonly used to describe the popular summer activity of going to the beach and swimming in the ocean. For example: Let's go to the beach for swimming - (海水浴に行きましょう). I enjoy swimming in the ocean - (海水浴が好きです).

海上: "Maritime" or "At sea". The noun '海上 (かいじょう)' refers to something that is 'maritime' or 'at sea'. It is used to describe situations, events, or activities that take place on the ocean or in a marine environment. For example: Maritime traffic - (海上交通). Naval forces at sea - (海上自衛隊).

海峡: "Strait". The Japanese noun '海峡 (かいきょう)' refers to a narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water. It is a passage of water between two land masses. For example: The Strait of Gibraltar is a strait - (ジブラルタル海峡は海峡である). The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido and Honshu - (津軽海峡は北海道と本州を分断している).

航海: "Voyage". The Japanese noun '航海 (こうかい)' means 'voyage'. This word refers to a long journey by ship or boat across the sea. It can be used to describe exploratory voyages, commercial shipping voyages, or even recreational boat trips. For example: The ship set sail on a long voyage - (船は長い航海に出航した). The sailors returned safely from their voyage - (船員たちは無事に航海から帰ってきた).

海水: "Seawater". The noun '海水 (かいすい)' refers to the water found in the world's oceans and seas. It is a saline solution composed primarily of water and dissolved salts. '海水' can be used to describe the water itself, as well as water taken from the ocean for various purposes. For example: The seawater was cold and salty - (海水は冷たく塩辛かった). We used the seawater to make salt - (私たちは海水を使って塩を作りました).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "か" is read as "ka". The hiragana "い" is read as "i". The hiragana "う" is read as "u". And The hiragana "み" is read as "mi".

Heres a quick tutorial on how to use it. You'll be asked three type of questions: meaning, reading, and writing.

For meanings questions all you have to do is type the english meaning. If there is more than one meaning, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Reading questions you have to type the reading in romaji (roman letters, our normal alphabet) and it'll be automatically converted to hiragana if necessary. If there is more than one reading, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Writing questions some options will appear and all you have to do is select the correct ones.