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道Nihongo Path
湾

湾·bay, gulf, inlet

On-yomi
ワン
Kun-yomi
none

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

Write it in this order; the numbers mark where each stroke starts.

12 strokes, numbered in writing order. Data: KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
東京湾とうきょうわんTokyo Bay
台湾たいわんTaiwan
湾岸わんがんbay shore, gulf coast
港湾こうわんharbour, port facilities

Example sentences

  1. 東京湾の近くに新しいビルが建った。

    とうきょうわんのちかくにあたらしいびるがたった。

    A new building went up near Tokyo Bay.

  2. 来月、台湾へ旅行に行きます。

    らいげつ、たいわんへりょこうにいきます。

    I'm going on a trip to Taiwan next month.

  3. 湾岸の道路は夜も車が多い。

    わんがんのどうろはよるもくるまがおおい。

    The bayside road has a lot of traffic even at night.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Mixing up 湾 (bay) with 岸 (shore) — 湾 is the curved body of water, 岸 the land edge

Memory aid

Picture it

Water (氵) beside a bow (弓) at the base: the coastline bends like a drawn bow, and the water inside that curve is the bay.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 湾 mean?