Japanese symbol for “sea”
海
うみ
Romaji: umi
sea; ocean; waters
In Japanese, sea is 海, read うみ (umi).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n sea; ocean; waters
Written forms: 海. Readings: うみ、み、わた、わだ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “sea”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 海上 | かいじょう kaijou | (on the) sea; surface of the sea |
| 海洋 | かいよう kaiyou | ocean; sea |
| 海面 | かいめん kaimen | sea level; (surface of) sea |
| 海原 | うなばら unabara | ocean; sea; the deep |
| シー | シー shii | sea |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 海外 | かいがい kaigai | foreign; abroad; overseas |
| 海岸 | かいがん kaigan | seashore; coast; seaside |
| 海軍 | かいぐん kaigun | navy; naval force |
| 北海道 | ほっかいどう hokkaidou | Hokkaido (island, prefectural-level administrative unit) |
| 海上 | かいじょう kaijou | (on the) sea; surface of the sea |
| 海洋 | かいよう kaiyou | ocean; sea |
See also: Chinese symbol for “sea”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.