湾 wān — bay; gulf
这个海湾的风景非常美。Zhè ge hǎi wān de fēng jǐng fēi cháng měi.The scenery of this bay is very beautiful.
Common words: 海湾 (hǎi wān)、港湾 (gǎng wān)、湾环 (wān huán)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "bay"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "bay", including 湾 (wān), 澳 (ào). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "bay" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 湾 (wān), 澳 (ào) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span wān, ào — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 湾 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 湾 wānbay; gulfUseful words: 海湾, 港湾
- 澳 àoAustralia; deep bay; cove; bay; harbor; (abbrev) MacaoUseful words: 澳元, 澳宝
Common words for these 2 "bay" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 湾 (wān) — so "bay" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "bay".
澳 ào — Australia; deep bay; cove; bay; harbor; (abbrev) Macao
澳大利亚是南半球的一个大国。Ào dà lì yà shì nán bàn qiú de yí ge dà guó.Australia is a large country in the Southern Hemisphere.
Common words: 澳元 (ào yuán)、澳宝 (ào bǎo)、澳币 (ào bì)
All 2 characters
Open 湾、澳 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.