1.
offshore, open sea, off the coast
The area of sea some distance from the shore. Used to describe locations in the water away from land.
沖合に船が見える。
I can see a ship offshore.
沖合で大きなクジラが泳いでいた。
A large whale was swimming offshore.
台風が沖合を通過した。
The typhoon passed through the waters offshore.
沖合 refers to the area of sea at some distance from the shore, beyond the immediate coastal zone. It is commonly used in weather reports, fishing contexts, and news about maritime incidents to specify locations away from land.
STRUCTURE:
- 沖 (open sea, offshore) + 合 (area around)
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 沖合で (offshore, in the open sea)
- 沖合に (out to sea)
- ～の沖合 (off the coast of ~)
- 沖合～キロ (~ kilometers offshore)
RELATED WORDS:
- 沖 (open sea — also used alone, slightly more literary)
- 岸 (shore, bank — opposite direction)
- 沿岸 (coast, coastal area — closer to shore than 沖合)