84
洋
Ocean, Western
JLPT N4
Interesting Fact
Remember the earthworm from 地 (ground)? One rainy day, its underground tunnel filled with water. 💧Soon the tunnel became so full that it turned into a pond((池)!
Memory Trick
Imagine standing on Japan's coast.In front of you is nothing but a vast ocean. A captain smiles and says,"If you keep sailing across this ocean, you'll reach the Western world. "That's why 洋 means both ocean and Western—because for Japan, the West was reached by crossing the ocean.
Readings
Onyomi: ヨウ (you)
Kunyomi:
Example Words
太平洋
たいへいよう (taiheiyou)
Pacific Ocean
洋服
ようふく (youfuku)
Western clothes
西洋
せいよう (seiyou)
The West
海洋
かいよう (kaiyou)
Ocean
Example Sentence
日本は 太平洋に 面しています。
にほんは たいへいように めんしています。
nihon wa taiheiyou ni menshiteimasu
Japan faces the Pacific Ocean.