海 hǎi — sea, ocean; a great quantity of something

Pinyin

• hǎi (third tone, dipping)

sea, ocean; a great quantity of something

Character breakdown

• 氵meaning partno entry yetThe water radical.
• 每sound partno entry yet每 měi for the sound; it is built on 母, the mother, and is filed with her under 毋.

Mnemonic

Water 氵 with 每 for the sound. The old commentaries like to say the sea is where all the rivers gather, as children gather to a mother 母 — a pleasant thought, but the element is there for the sound. 大海 the open sea, 海边 the seaside, 上海 Shanghai, "upon the sea", 海关 customs, the gate on the coast.

A memory aid written by HSK Guide editors. It is not an etymology and does not describe the historical origin of the character.

Words containing 海

No published word on HSK Guide uses this character yet. Search the dictionary.

Radical 水 — other characters

• 水shuǐ (third tone, dipping)water
• 河hé (second tone, rising)a river; (originally, with a capital) the Yellow River
• 洗xǐ (third tone, dipping)to wash, to bathe; to rinse away; to develop (photographs)