海水 (hǎi shuǐ) — seawater; saltwater from the sea | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

seawatersaltwater from the sea

Examples

海水，。
hǎi shuǐ De yán fèn hěn gāo, bù néng zhí jiē yǐn yòng.
Seawater has a high salt content and cannot be drunk directly.
海水。
Zhè piàn shā tān de hǎi shuǐ fēi cháng qīng chè.
The seawater at this beach is very clear.
海水。
Kē xué jiā zhèng zài yán jiū rú hé cóng hǎi shuǐ zhōng tí qǔ kuàng wù.
Scientists are researching how to extract minerals from seawater.

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 means sea and 水 means water, so it refers to the water of the 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.

氵每海

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.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

水 is a simple drawing of water flowing.

Appears in

Geography & Landforms

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.