海岸
hǎiàn · HSK 7
seashore
🌊🏖️ 海 = sea + 岸 = bank/shore, so 海岸 = the sea's bank = seashore
岸 (àn) means bank or shore — the edge of land meeting water. Pair it with 海 (hǎi, sea) and you get the coast. The hǎi syllable also opens the English word high-tide, a coastal cue.
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).
岸 — mountain 山 on top + cliff 厂 + 干 (phonetic)
岸 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The top combines 山 (mountain) and 厂 (cliff/slope), suggesting a steep landform by the water; 干 underneath supplies the sound. Together it depicts a high bank or shore where land meets water.