tide; sea current
Refers to the ebb and flow of the sea or to the movement of seawater as a current. Common in expressions such as 潮が満ちる, 潮が引く, and 潮の流れ.
夕方になると潮が満ちてきた。
By evening, the tide started coming in.
The current is fast in this strait.
seawater; salt water from the sea
Used for seawater itself, especially when it splashes, wets, smells of the sea, or leaves salt behind. 海水 is the more neutral technical word for seawater.
船の上で潮をかぶって、服がぬれた。
I got splashed with seawater on the boat, and my clothes got wet.
opportunity; chance; right moment
Figurative use meaning a suitable moment or opportunity. In modern Japanese it is limited and somewhat literary; 潮時 is a much more common word for 'the right time.'
潮を見て、彼は交渉を切り出した。
Watching for the right opportunity, he brought up the negotiations.
As evening came, the tide started coming in.
The tide went out, and the beach became wider.
He skillfully seized the moment and expanded his business.
We played at the water's edge, getting splashed with seawater.
roar of the sea; sound of waves
spurt of blood; gushing blood · hot-bloodedness; passion; ardor
whirling tides; whirlpool
tidal front; current rip; line where ocean currents meet · turning point; course of events; juncture
red tide
ebb tide; falling tide
rising tide; incoming tide; flood tide · surge; upswing
half tide; moderate tide
high tide; flood tide
summer tide; tide reflecting the summer sun
evening tide
neap tide
fast tide; rapidly changing tide
morning tide
rising tide; beginning
tidal hour; time of the tide · right time; opportunity; chance
ocean current boundary; tidal front
low tide; ebb tide