海(うみ)

うみ

noun

sea, ocean

1. sea, ocean

A large body of salt water. In Japanese, 海(うみ) is used for both 'sea' and 'ocean' in everyday contexts.

夏休(なつやす)みに海(うみ)へ行(い)きました。

I went to the sea during summer vacation.

海(うみ)で泳(およ)ぐのが好(す)きです。

I like swimming in the sea.

この部屋(へや)から海(うみ)が見(み)えるので、毎日(まいにち)気持(きも)ちがいいです。

You can see the ocean from this room, so it feels great every day.

海(うみ)の水(みず)は塩(しお)からいですから、飲(の)まないでください。喉(のど)が渇(かわ)いたら、水(みず)を持(も)ってきました。

Sea water is salty, so please don't drink it. If you're thirsty, I brought water.

When I was a child, I went to the sea with my family every summer and swam, collected shells, and built sandcastles.

海(うみ) is a fundamental nature word used for both "sea" and "ocean" in everyday Japanese.

SCOPE:
In English, "sea" and "ocean" have different meanings, but 海(うみ) covers both. For technical distinctions, 大洋(たいよう) means "ocean."

COMMON EXPRESSIONS:

海(うみ)に行(い)く: to go to the sea/beach
海(うみ)で泳(およ)ぐ: to swim in the sea
海(うみ)の幸(さち): seafood (lit. bounty of the sea)

RELATED WORDS:

海岸(かいがん): coast, beach
海水浴(かいすいよく): sea bathing
日本海(にほんかい): Sea of Japan
太平洋(たいへいよう): Pacific Ocean

CULTURAL NOTE:
海(うみ) and 山(やま) (mountain) together represent Japan's iconic landscapes. The phrase 海(うみ)か山(やま)か (sea or mountains?) is a common question about vacation preferences.

海(うみ)

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