海 hǎi — ocean; sea
海里有各种各样的鱼。Hǎi lǐ yǒu gè zhǒng gè yàng de yú.There are all kinds of fish in the sea.
Common words: 大海 (dà hǎi)、海边 (hǎi biān)、海关 (hǎi guān)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "ocean"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "ocean", including 海 (hǎi), 洋 (yáng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "ocean" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 海 (hǎi), 洋 (yáng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span hǎi, yáng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 海 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 海 hǎiocean; seaUseful words: 大海, 海边
- 洋 yángforeign; oceanUseful words: 海洋, 出洋相
Common words for these 2 "ocean" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 海 (hǎi) — so "ocean" 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 "ocean".
洋 yáng — foreign; ocean
太平洋是世界上最大的海洋。Tài píng yáng shì shì jiè shàng zuì dà de hǎi yáng.The Pacific is the largest ocean in the world.
Common words: 海洋 (hǎi yáng)、出洋相 (chū yáng xiàng)、洋溢 (yáng yì)
All 2 characters
Open 海、洋 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.