海灘 / 海滩
hǎitān
In Chinese, the English word "beach" is expressed as 海灘 / 海滩 (hǎitān). If unsure, use 海灘 / 海滩. Wiktionary also lists 沙灘 / 沙滩 (shātān) and 灘 / 滩.
Meaning: sandy shore (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 海灘 / 海滩 | hǎitān |
| 沙灘 / 沙滩 | shātān |
| 灘 / 滩 |
The term refers to a sandy shore.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 海灘 (hǎitān) is composed of 海 (sea) and 灘 (beach/shoal). The word 沙灘 (shātān) is composed of 沙 (sand) and 灘 (beach/shoal).
Which one should you use?
海灘 (hǎitān) refers more generally to a beach by the sea, whereas 沙灘 (shātān) specifically emphasizes the sandy nature of the shore. Note that the characters 灘 and 滩 are the traditional and simplified versions of the same character.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Taiwan, the term 沙灘 is used to refer to a beach.
How do you pronounce it?
hǎitān
Did you know?
- The character for sand, 沙, is also used to describe a 'husky' or 'gritty' voice in Chinese, similar to how English uses 'gravelly'.
- In Chinese, the word 灘 can refer not just to a sandy beach but also to 'rapids' or 'shallows' in a river, depending on the context.
- The character 灘 contains the component 難, which usually means 'difficult'. In ancient Chinese, these words shared a similar sound, leading to the phonetic use of 'difficult' to help spell 'beach'.
Examples in context
- 我们去沙滩度假吧！Let's go to the beach for a vacation!
- 他们正在沙滩上玩沙子。They are playing with sand on the beach.
- 我们要去海滩晒太阳。We want to go to the beach to sunbathe.
- 海滩上的海风很舒服。The sea breeze on the beach is very comfortable.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “beach” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 灘, CC BY-SA 4.0.
