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海域 (hǎi yù) — sea area; maritime space; territorial waters

Definition

海域 is a designated stretch of sea (often in legal, geographic, or military contexts), larger than 海面 (the surface alone) and broader than the general 水域 (any body of water).

noun
sea areamaritime spaceterritorial waters
Measure word · 片

Examples

  • 海域。
    Zhè piàn hǎi yù de shēng tài zī yuán fēi cháng fēng fù.
    This sea area is very rich in ecological resources.
  • 海域。
    Wǒ men de chuán zài zhè piàn hǎi yù zhōng bǔ yú.
    Our boat is fishing in this sea area.
  • 海域。
    Liǎng guó zài hǎi yù biān jiè wèn tí shàng dá chéng le yí zhì.
    The two countries reached an agreement on the maritime boundary issue.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

海hǎisea
域yùregion

sea and region combine to mean an area of sea.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
每
每měi海hǎi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

海 pairs 氵 (water) with 每, which gives the sound. The 氵 side shows it is about water.

Open 海 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
或
或huò域yù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

域 uses 土, earth or soil, to show it is about land, and 或 to suggest its pronunciation.

Open 域 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Geography & Landforms

Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.