1.
the ocean; the open sea; the vast sea
The great, open expanse of the sea, emphasizing its vastness. A somewhat literary word that often appears in metaphors contrasting something small with the immensity of the sea.
船が大海に出た。
The ship sailed out into the open sea.
大海の真ん中で方向を見失った。
We lost our bearings in the middle of the open sea.
自分の知識など、大海の一滴にすぎないと感じた。
I felt that my own knowledge was no more than a drop in the ocean.
A literary, somewhat grand word for the open sea, stressing its vastness. In everyday conversation 海 is far more common.
COMMON EXPRESSIONS:
- 大海の一滴: a drop in the ocean — something tiny and insignificant by comparison
- 大海に乗り出す: to set out onto the open sea (often figurative, e.g. into the wider world)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 海: sea — the everyday, neutral word
- 大洋: ocean — a more technical/geographical term for the major oceans (Pacific, Atlantic, etc.)