海
hǎi · HSK 2
ocean
🌊 海 = 氵(water) + 每 (měi, phonetic) — the vast water
The 氵 radical marks anything water-related; 每 hints at the old sound. Core meaning is sea or ocean; extended senses like 'vast amount' come from that (人海 = sea of people).
海 — water radical 氵 + 每 (phonetic)
海 is a phono-semantic compound. The 氵 (water) radical signals the meaning—a vast body of water—while 每 supplies the sound. Originally referring to the sea or ocean, it later extended figuratively to mean 'vast' or 'a great quantity,' as in 人海 (a sea of people).