海流
かいりゅう · kairyuu · JLPT N1 · noun
ocean current
🌊 海 (sea) + 流 (flow) = sea flow, which is an ocean current
流 also means flow, as in 流れ (nagare, a stream). Joining it to 海 gives 海流, the flow of the sea: an ocean current.
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).
流 — water radical 氵 + 㐬 (phonetic, child being born)
流 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The water radical 氵 gives the meaning, while 㐬 depicts an infant being born head-down with amniotic fluid, suggesting downward flow. Together they convey water flowing, and by extension 'to flow' or 'current'.