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JLPT N18画 · 8 strokesradical 山grade 3freq #556

beach

On'yomi (音読み)

  • ガン

Kun'yomi (訓読み)

  • きし

Mnemonic

Imagine a grand mountain (山) towering beside the beach (岸), where waves crash and the sand meets the majestic rocks.

About this kanji

The kanji 岸, pronounced きし (kishi) in kun'yomi and ガン (gan) in on'yomi, primarily means "beach" or "shore." It is often used as a noun rather than a verb. You will see it in several common compounds, such as 海岸 (かいがん), which means "seashore"; 沿岸 (えんがん), meaning "coast"; and 湾岸 (わんがん), referring to a "gulf coast." These words are useful when discussing geographic locations associated with water. A usage note is that while 岸 typically refers to land next to a body of water, it can also indicate an edge or bank, providing a broader context in which the kanji can be applied.

Example sentences

  • 海岸で貝を拾った。

    I picked up shells on the shore.

Meanings across languages

English
beach
Tiếng Việt
bờ biển
日本語
한국어
해안
中文
id
pantai
th
ชายหาด
es
playa
fr
plage
de
Strand
pt
praia

Common compounds

  • 沿岸えんがんcoast, shore, coastal waters
  • 海岸かいがんseashore, coast, seaside
  • 湾岸わんがんgulf coast, bay coast
  • 岸壁がんぺきquay, wharf, jetty
  • 岸辺きしべshore, bank (of a body of water)
  • 護岸ごがんriver dike
  • 川岸かわぎしriverbank, riverside
  • 対岸たいがんopposite shore

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