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海hǎiocean; sea

HSK 3word

By Chinese Copilot · Last updated

海 (hǎi) means "sea" or "ocean," as in 去海边 (go to the seaside) and 在海里游泳 (swim in the sea). It is the everyday word for a large body of salt water, used when talking about trips, the beach, the weather by the coast, or the color of the water, as in 蓝蓝的海.

What does 海 mean?

  1. 1.

    ocean; seanoun

What does the character 海 mean?

  • 海ocean; sea

How do you use 海?

Add 里 for "in the sea" (海里) and 边 for "by the sea" (海边); a stretch of sea can take the measure word 片.

What are some examples of 海 in a sentence?

  1. HSK 1

    我喜欢去海边。

    Wǒ xǐhuan qù hǎi biān.

    I like going to the seaside.

  2. HSK 3

    夏天我们常常在海里游泳。

    Xiàtiān wǒmen chángcháng zài hǎi lǐ yóuyǒng.

    In summer we often swim in the sea.

  3. HSK 2

    这里离海很远。

    Zhèlǐ lí hǎi hěn yuǎn.

    It's very far from the sea here.

How is 海 used in a conversation?

  1. Speaker A:

    这个周末你想去哪儿？

    Zhège zhōumò nǐ xiǎng qù nǎr?

    Where do you want to go this weekend?

  2. Speaker B:

    我想去海边看看。

    Wǒ xiǎng qù hǎi biān kànkan.

    I want to go and have a look at the seaside.

  3. Speaker A:

    海边远吗？

    Hǎi biān yuǎn ma?

    Is the seaside far?

  4. Speaker B:

    不远，坐车一个小时就到。

    Bù yuǎn, zuò chē yí ge xiǎoshí jiù dào.

    Not far; it's only an hour by car.

What should you learn next?

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English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.