潮しお

し

お

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

noun

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.

夕ゆう方がたになると潮しおが満みちてきた。
By evening, the tide started coming in.
この海かい峡きょうは潮しおの流ながれが速はやい。
The current is fast in this strait.

2

noun

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.

船ふねの上うえで潮しおをかぶって、服ふくがぬれた。
I got splashed with seawater on the boat, and my clothes got wet.

3

noun

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.'

潮しおを見みて、彼かれは交こう渉しょうを切きり出だした。
Watching for the right opportunity, he brought up the negotiations.

Written forms

潮しおUsage86%
Standard common spelling for the sea tide, current, and related figurative uses.
汐しおUsage9%
Attested alternate spelling for tide; less general than 潮 and often has a literary or name-like feel.
しおUsage5%

Kanji

潮tide, salt water, opportunity
汐eventide, tide, salt water

Similar words

海かい水すい
A direct, neutral word for seawater; 潮 can mean seawater but also tide, current, and figurative opportunity.
潮しお時どき
A common word for the right time or a good moment to act; 潮 alone has this figurative meaning only in limited or literary use.
潮ちょう流りゅう
Means ocean current, and figuratively a trend or current of thought; 潮 is simpler and often refers to the tide itself.

Etymology

しお is a native Japanese word; 潮 is the standard kanji spelling associated with tides and currents, while 汐 is an alternate spelling. The exact historical derivation is not specified.