海うみ辺べ

う

み

べ

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

Refers to the area where the land meets the sea; often implies a sandy or scenic shore. The reading かいへん is less common and may sound more formal or literary.

夏なつ休やすみに海うみ辺べで泳およいだ。
I swam at the beach during summer vacation.
海うみ辺べのカフェで夕ゆう日ひを見みた。
I watched the sunset at a seaside café.

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Usage patterns

〈場ば所しょ〉で過すごすto spend time at (a place)
夏なつ休やすみは海うみ辺べで過すごした。
I spent the summer vacation at the seaside.
〈場所ばしょ〉〉を散歩さんぽするto take a walk along (a place)
夕ゆう方がた、海うみ辺べを散さん歩ぽするのが好すきだ。
I like taking a walk along the seaside in the evening.
〈場ば所しょ〉に住すむto live near (a place)
彼かれは海うみ辺べに住すんでいる。
He lives near the seaside.
海うみ辺べの〈場ば所しょ〉a seaside (place), e.g. town or village
海うみ辺べの町まちでのんびりと暮くらしたい。
I want to live leisurely in a seaside town.

Kanji

海sea, ocean
辺environs, boundary, border

Related words

海かい岸がんN4
海岸 is the neutral, geographic term for 'coast' or 'shoreline', while 海辺 stresses the scenic, recreational feel of the seaside.
浜はま辺べN1
浜辺 highlights the sandy beach itself, whereas 海辺 more broadly refers to the area near the sea, sandy or not.
沿えん岸がんN1
沿岸 is a formal, often administrative term for coastal areas (e.g. 沿岸警備), while 海辺 is the everyday, evocative word for the seaside.
臨りん海かい
海辺 is a casual, everyday word for the beach or seaside, whereas 臨海 is formal and mainly appears in official or compound terms like 臨海公園.
海かい浜ひん
海辺 is a plain, common word for 'seaside' used in everyday speech, while 海浜 carries a more formal, official tone.

Opposites

内ない陸りくN1
内陸 means 'inland', the opposite of 海辺's location near the sea.

Don't confuse with

川かわ辺べ
川辺 refers to a riverside, not the seaside like 海辺, though the '～辺' pattern makes learners mix them up.
海うみN5
海辺 refers to the seaside or beach area, whereas 海 refers to the sea itself.

Built from

海うみ+辺へ

Written forms

海辺Usage95%
- うみべ
  Standard kanji spelling; the most common written form.
- かいへん
海うみべUsage3%
search-only kanji form
Search-only form; not used in normal writing.
うみべUsage1%
Kana spelling; used when the kanji is avoided or for clarity.
かいへん

Etymology

Compound of 海 (umi, 'sea') and 辺 (be, 'vicinity, area'). The reading うみべ is the standard kun'yomi combination. The alternative reading かいへん uses the on'yomi of both characters and is less common.