海岸
かいがん · kaigan · JLPT N4 · noun
seashore
🌊🏖️ 海岸 = sea (海 kai) + shore (岸 gan)
海 is sea, read kai as in 海外 (overseas). 岸 is shore or bank, read gan here: the g is the voiced form of kan after another character. Sea + shore = coast. Sound hook: KAI-GAN, the sea's edge where a kayak can land.
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.