瀬戸内海(せとないかい)

せとないかい
noun (proper)
the Seto Inland Sea
proper-nounplace-namegeography
1. the Seto Inland Sea
The sheltered sea enclosed by Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, dotted with some three thousand islands. Japan's first national park and a byword for calm water, mild climate, and island scenery; the surrounding region is called 瀬戸内(せとうち).
瀬戸内海(せとないかい)は波(なみ)が穏(おだ)やかだ。
The Seto Inland Sea has calm waters.
瀬戸内海(せとないかい)に浮(う)かぶ島(しま)をフェリーで巡(めぐ)った。
I toured the islands floating in the Seto Inland Sea by ferry.
瀬戸内海(せとないかい)沿岸(えんがん)は雨(あめ)が少(すく)なく、一年(いちねん)を通(とお)して気候(きこう)が穏(おだ)やかだ。
The Seto Inland Sea coast gets little rain and has a mild climate all year round.
瀬戸内海(せとないかい)の島々(しまじま)は現代(げんだい)アートの拠点(きょてん)として世界的(せかいてき)に知(し)られるようになった。
The islands of the Seto Inland Sea have become internationally known as a hub for contemporary art.

瀬戸(せと) (strait) + 内海(ないかい) (inland sea). Note that 内海(ないかい) here keeps its on'yomi reading; the same characters read うちうみ elsewhere.

Cultural note

The sea's calm, island-studded surface is a stock image of gentle Japanese landscape, invoked in travel writing much as the Mediterranean is in English. Since the 2010 launch of the 瀬戸内(せとうち)国際(こくさい)芸術祭(げいじゅつさい) (Setouchi Triennale), islands such as 直島(なおしま) have also come to stand for contemporary art.

Common expressions

Related Words

Compare: 日本海(にほんかい) (the Sea of Japan)
general
Added 2026.8.31 21:38 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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