岸 àn — bank; shore; beach; coast
小船慢慢靠近了岸边。Xiǎo chuán màn màn kào jìn le àn biān.The small boat slowly approached the shore.
Common words: 岸上 (àn shàng)、两岸 (liǎng àn)、海岸 (hǎi àn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "beach"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "beach", including 岸 (àn), 滩 (tān), 浦 (pǔ), 滨 (bīn). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "beach" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 岸 (àn), 滩 (tān), 浦 (pǔ), 滨 (bīn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span àn, tān, pǔ, bīn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 岸 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 岸 ànbank; shore; beach; coastUseful words: 岸上, 两岸
- 滩 tānbeach; shoalUseful words: 沙滩, 海滩
- 浦 pǔbeachUseful words: 帮浦, 泵浦
- 滨 bīnshore; beach; coast; bankUseful words: 海滨, 滨海
Common words for these 4 "beach" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 岸 (àn) — so "beach" 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 4 ways to say "beach".
滩 tān — beach; shoal
退潮以后，海滩上留下了许多贝壳。Tuì cháo yǐ hòu, hǎi tān shàng liú xià le xǔ duō bèi ké.After the tide went out, many seashells were left on the beach.
Common words: 沙滩 (shā tān)、海滩 (hǎi tān)、滩头 (tān tóu)
浦 pǔ — beach
上海浦东有许多高楼大厦。Shàng hǎi Pǔ dōng yǒu xǔ duō gāo lóu dà shà.Pudong in Shanghai has many tall buildings.
Common words: 帮浦 (bāng pǔ)、泵浦 (bèng pǔ)
滨 bīn — shore; beach; coast; bank
海滨的城市气候温和，景色宜人。Hǎi bīn de chéng shì qì hòu wēn hé, jǐng sè yí rén.Coastal cities have a mild climate and pleasant scenery.
Common words: 海滨 (hǎi bīn)、滨海 (bīn hǎi)、河滨 (hé bīn)
All 4 characters
Open 岸、滩、浦 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.