JLPT N4 kanji. Readings, meaning, and how the character is built.
海 means sea, ocean. It is a JLPT N4 kanji written in 9 strokes, read うみ or かい. It combines 氵 (water), which carries the meaning, with 毎, which is there for its sound かい. It appears in 海岸 (coast / seashore) and 海外 (overseas / abroad / foreign).
海 is written in 9 strokes, in the order numbered below. Order matters: it is what makes handwriting legible, and it is how the character is looked up in a paper dictionary.
海 breaks into 2 parts.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 海 | うみ | sea / beach |
| 海岸 | かいがん | coast / seashore |
| 海外 | かいがい | overseas / abroad / foreign |
毎 tends to carry the sound かい. They carry it; they do not all mean the same thing.
| Reading | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| 毎 | かい | every |
| 海 | かい | sea, ocean |
| 悔 | かい | repent, regret |
These use 氵 or 毎 too. The part keeps its job from one character to the next, which is what makes it worth learning once.
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