海
sea
N4- Onyomi
- カイ
- Kunyomi
- うみ
- Stroke count
- 9
- JLPT
- N4
Mnemonic
海 means "sea". Its on'yomi カイ and kun'yomi うみ. To remember it, picture "sea" every time you see 海, and link that image to the reading so the shape, sound, and meaning stick together.
Stroke Order
Stroke count: 9
- 1上から下へ書きます。Write from top to bottom.
- 2左から右へ書きます。Write from left to right.
- 3横の画を先に、縦の画を後に書きます。Write horizontal strokes before the vertical strokes that cross them.
- 4外側の囲みを先に書き、中を後で書きます。Draw an outer enclosure first, then fill in what is inside.
- 5中央を先に、左右を後に書きます。In symmetric shapes, write the centre before the left and right sides.
- 6この漢字は9画です。下の練習エリアで順番に書いてみましょう。This kanji has 9 strokes — trace them in order in the practice area below.
Step by step
Stroke-order data: KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Practice Writing
Trace the faded character with your mouse or finger. Hide the outline to test yourself.
Structure
Radical
氵
water
Component
毎
every
Water 氵 plus 毎 (reading かい) — the sea.
Writing Tips
- Keep the 氵 radical compact on the left, and let the right side stand a little taller.
- Follow the order strictly: top-to-bottom and left-to-right. Correct order makes the shape balanced and natural.
- Keep each stroke in one smooth motion — don't lift the pen in the middle of a stroke.
- Close enclosing strokes cleanly so the character does not look open or broken.
- Common mistake: drawing strokes bottom-to-top or right-to-left. Even if the result looks similar, the wrong order shows in handwriting and makes it harder to read.
Example words
海岸coast海運marine transport海運するto do marine transport海運したplain past: did marine transport海運しますpolite: do marine transport海運しないplain negative: does not do marine transport
Example sentences (3)
海岸はとても大切です。
かいがん は とても たいせつ です。
kaigan wa totemo taisetsu desu.
The coast is very important.
毎日海運を使います。
まいにち かいうん を つかいます。
mainichi kaiun o tsukaimasu.
I use the marine transport every day.
海運するの意味を調べました。
かいうんする の いみ を しらべました。
kaiunsuru no imi o shirabemashita.
I looked up the meaning of "to do marine transport".