A small indentation of the shoreline, smaller than a bay (湾). Often used for picturesque, sheltered coastal inlets.
The water in that inlet is crystal clear, perfect for swimming.
A single yacht was anchored in the small cove.
入り江 is the common word for a coastal inlet or cove, whereas 潟 is used more narrowly, often in place names, for a similar narrow inlet.
入り江 is a smaller inlet or cove cut into a coastline, whereas 内海 denotes a whole sea-sized body of water enclosed by land.
saltwater crocodile; estuarine crocodile
Standard kanji spelling.
Variant kanji spelling, also common.
Compound of 入り (iri, 'entering') + 江 (e, 'inlet'). The kanji 江 originally referred to a creek or inlet.