海
Character learning workspace

hǎi · sea, ocean

Master the form, understand its parts, and learn how it behaves in real Chinese.

HSK 3.0 · Level 3Frequency #1082
Watch · inspect · write

Learn every stroke in 海

Replay the complete order, pause on difficult movements, inspect one stroke at a time, then write it yourself with live correction.

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Stroke graphics: Make Me a Hanzi / Arphic Public License
Step-by-step explorer

See how 海 is constructed

Switch between the accumulated form and the isolated movement of each stroke.

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Character anatomy

Understand the reusable parts

The decomposition shows how the visual pieces fit together, not necessarily the character’s historical origin.

Writing notes

Shape and proportion

10Total strokes

Count each continuous pen movement once, including turns and hooks.

Left-rightCharacter structure

Keep the left side compact and leave enough room for the right side.

氵Key radical

Use the highlighted radical in the animation as a visual anchor for remembering the form.

Print and practise

Download a 海 writing sheet

Get a ready-to-use A4 sheet immediately, or open the full builder to change its grid and guidance.

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Includes the stroke sequence, progressive tracing, and blank writing squares. Generated locally in your browser.

Vocabulary in context

Common words with 海

Open a word for its full breakdown, or listen before reading the meaning.

hǎiWords pronounced hǎi
Read and listen

Example sentences

Notice where 海 sits in each complete thought.

Tā yòu bú shì hǎi lǐ wéiyī de yú.他又不是海里唯一的鱼。

He's not the only fish in the sea.

Source: Tatoeba #13949952 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Wǒ shì shàng hǎi rén.我是上海人。

I'm Shanghainese.

Source: Tatoeba #347342 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Wǒ yí dào shàng hǎi jiù dǎ diàn huà gěi nǐ.我一到上海就打电话给你。

I’ll phone you as soon as I arrive in Shanghai.

Source: Tatoeba #2367572 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Nǐ zài shàng hǎi yào zhù duō shǎo shí jiān?你在上海要住多少时间?

How long are you going to stay in Shanghai?

Source: Tatoeba #421172 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Wǒ xiǎng hé nǐ yì qǐ qù hǎi biān.我想和你一起去海邊。

I'd like to go to the seaside with you.

Source: Tatoeba #13573269 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Nǐ lái shàng hǎi duō shǎo shí jiān le?你来上海多少时间了?

For how long are you in Shanghai?

Source: Tatoeba #347807 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Turn reference into recall

How to study 海 in context

  1. Say hǎi, then recall the core meaning: sea, ocean.
  2. Write all 10 strokes while keeping the left-right balanced.
  3. Use it in 海洋 (hǎi yáng), meaning “ocean”.
  4. Read the complete sentence aloud once, then cover the translation and explain how 海 works in that context.

Definitions and traditional forms are compiled from Make Me a Hanzi, HSK curriculum data, and CC-CEDICT. Sourced example sentences link to Tatoeba; editorial examples are labeled separately. Review data sources and licenses.