Kaigan is a Japanese word for ‘seashore’, explained

What does “kaigan” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers use kaigan to mean ‘seashore’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I’m explaining this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’m explaining how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand kaigan more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “kaigan”
• Kaigan in kanji
  • How to say “seashore” in Japanese
  • Another example of “kaigan”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “kaigan”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of kaigan.

• kaigan – 海岸 (かいがん) : a noun used to mean ‘seashore’ in Japanese.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Kaigan in kanji

The kanji expression of kaigan consists of the following two kanji characters:

• 海 : a kanji character used to mean ‘sea’ in Japanese.
• 岸 : a kanji character used to mean a ‘shore’ in Japanese.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that kaigan literally means ‘seashore’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is completely in line with the actual meaning.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about the meanings of the expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of kaigan through the detailed kanji check above.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of kaigan together with its kanji characters. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

How to say “seashore” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after kanojo to make its plural form, kanojo tachi, which means ‘they’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after kanojo tachi to make the subject in the sentence.
• kinou – 昨日 (きのう) : a noun meaning ‘yesterday’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb in the middle of the sentence to mean ‘yesterday’ in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something goes. In the example, this is used after kaigan to say where they went yesterday.
• it – 行っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, iku, which means ‘to go’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of the Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after it to make its past tense form, it ta.

This is a typical usage of kaigan. In this example, it works together with the case particle, ni, to become the object in the sentence.

Another example of “kaigan”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘so’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this works in front of utsukushikat ta to emphasize its meaning.
• utsukushikat – 美しかっ (うつくしかっ) : one conjugation of the i-adjective, utsukushii, which means ‘beautiful’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.

This is another example of kaigan. In this example, it works together with wa to become the subject in the sentence. When we want to refer to the seashore in Japanese, anyway, this noun is always a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of kaigan in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• kaigan – 海岸 (かいがん) : a noun used to mean ‘seashore’ in Japanese. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘seashore’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is completely in line with the actual meaning.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.