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海 — ocean; sea

ocean; sea; great number of people or things; numerous

Pinyin
hǎi · Hǎi
Strokes
10
HSK level
HSK 3
Handwriting
required

This character has more than one reading — hǎi, Hǎi — and the pronunciation depends on the word it appears in. The list below gives the syllabus reading for each word.

How to write 海: 10 strokes

Each cell adds one stroke to the previous ones, with the new stroke in red. Stroke order is not decoration: it sets the proportions of the character and makes handwriting legible to a reader. This character is on the HSK handwriting list, so the exam expects you to write it, not only recognise it.

海 — 10 strokes, in writing order from left to right.

Build a printable practice sheet with 海

Words with 海 in the HSK syllabus: 28

Every word in the official 2026 syllabus that contains this character, with the level it is introduced at. Learning a character pays off through these: each one combines with the characters you already know.

  1. 海hǎiocean; sea; great number of people or thingsHSK 3
  2. 海洋hǎiyángoceanHSK 4
  3. 海关hǎiguāncustomsHSK 5
  4. 海外hǎiwàioverseas; abroadHSK 5
  5. 海鲜hǎixiānseafoodHSK 5
  6. 海内外hǎi nèiwàidomestic and international; at home and abroadHSK 6
  7. 海岸hǎi’àncoastal; seacoastHSK 6
  8. 海拔hǎibáheight above sea level; elevationHSK 6
  9. 海面hǎimiànthe surface of the sea; ocean surfaceHSK 6
  10. 海域hǎiyùsea area; territorial waters; maritime spaceHSK 6
  11. 人山人海rénshān-rénhǎimultitude; vast crowdHSK 6
  12. 沿海yánhǎicoastalHSK 6
  13. 海报hǎibàoposter; playbill; noticeHSK 7–9
  14. 海滨hǎibīnshore; seasideHSK 7–9
  15. 海盗hǎidàopirateHSK 7–9
  16. 海军hǎijūnnavyHSK 7–9
  17. 海量hǎiliàngmagnanimity; great capacity for alcoholHSK 7–9
  18. 海绵hǎimiánsea sponge; dried sea sponge; sponge; foam rubberHSK 7–9
  19. 海滩hǎitānbeachHSK 7–9
  20. 海豚hǎitúndolphinHSK 7–9
  21. 海湾hǎiwānGulfHSK 7–9
  22. 海峡hǎixiástrait; channelHSK 7–9
  23. 海啸hǎixiàotsunamiHSK 7–9
  24. 海运hǎiyùnshipping by seaHSK 7–9
  25. 海藻hǎizǎoseaweed; marine alga; kelpHSK 7–9
  26. 航海hánghǎito sail the seas; maritime navigation; voyageHSK 7–9
  27. 脑海nǎohǎithe mind; the brainHSK 7–9
  28. 五湖四海wǔhú-sìhǎiall parts of the countryHSK 7–9

Glosses come from CC-CEDICT, used under CC BY-SA 4.0, and are the dictionary’s first sense rather than a translation chosen for context.