How to Say "Ocean" in Chinese

海洋

hǎiyáng

The Chinese word for ocean is 海洋 (hǎiyáng). Wiktionary also lists 大洋 (dàyáng) and 洋 (yáng).

Meaning: one of the large bodies of water (noun)

Ways to say it

In general, use 海洋 to refer to the ocean. In poetic or literary contexts, the single character 洋 can be used to represent the ocean or vastness.

The word 海洋 is composed of 海, meaning sea and 洋, meaning ocean or vast water.

While 海洋 is used for the general concept of the ocean, 大洋 (dàyáng) is used to emphasize the vastness and scale of the great oceans.

When naming specific oceans, the character 洋 is used as a suffix, such as in 太平洋 (Pacific Ocean).

hǎiyáng

The character 洋 is also used as a loanword prefix for 'foreign' or 'Western', such as in 洋货 for 'foreign goods'.
The term 洋气 (yángqì) uses the word for 'ocean' to describe someone who looks stylish or sophisticated in a Western way.
The character 洋 uses the radical for 'water' but its phonetic component is 羊, which means 'sheep'.

海洋的深层仍然几乎未被探索。
The deep layers of the ocean are still almost unexplored.
This example shows how to use 海洋 to discuss the unexplored depths of the ocean.
Tatoeba #5550032 by verdastelo9604, translation #5550030 by verdastelo9604
你的歌聲清澈如太平洋的海水。
You sing with a voice as clear as the waters of the Pacific Ocean.
This sentence demonstrates how 洋 can be part of a specific ocean name like the Pacific Ocean.
Tatoeba #13119361 by LeviHighway, translation #5896797 by peterius
我願穿洋過海只為再看到你的笑容。
I would swim through the ocean just to see your smile again.
This sentence illustrates the use of 洋 in a poetic sense to describe crossing the vastness of the ocean.
Tatoeba #8616798 by shou, translation #618403 by TRANG
大海真美
The ocean is beautiful
11 more sentences on Tatoeba

Yuting and Wei are looking at a picture book about nature.

雨婷 Yuting

海洋里有很多神奇的生物。
Hǎiyáng lǐ yǒu hěnduō shénqí de shēngwù.
There are many magical creatures in the ocean.
伟 Wei

没错，我想去那里潜水。
Méicuò, wǒ xiǎng qù nàlǐ qiánshuǐ.
That's true, I want to go diving there.
雨婷 Yuting

保护海洋是非常重要的。
Bǎohù hǎiyáng shì fēicháng zhòngyào de.
Protecting the ocean is very important.
伟 Wei

我完全同意你的看法。
Wǒ wánquán tóngyì nǐ de kànfǎ.
I completely agree with your view.

Sources

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