海鲜 (hǎixiān)

海鲜 means seafood. It refers to all edible creatures from the sea, including fish, shrimp, crab, oysters, and squid. 海 means sea or ocean, and 鲜 means fresh or tasty. Together they evoke freshly caught, delicious food from the sea.

Meanings

[noun] Seafood; edible creatures from the sea or ocean.

Example Sentences

这家餐厅的海鲜很新鲜。 Zhè jiā cāntīng de hǎixiān hěn xīnxiān. The seafood at this restaurant is very fresh.

我对海鲜过敏，不能吃虾。 Wǒ duì hǎixiān guòmǐn, bù néng chī xiā. I am allergic to seafood and cannot eat shrimp.

沿海城市的海鲜价格比较便宜。 Yánhǎi chéngshì de hǎixiān jiàgé bǐjiào piányí. Seafood is relatively cheap in coastal cities.

他点了一份海鲜炒饭。 Tā diǎn le yī fèn hǎixiān chǎofàn. He ordered a seafood fried rice.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
新鲜海鲜	fresh seafood
海鲜餐厅	seafood restaurant
海鲜过敏	seafood allergy
海鲜大餐	seafood feast
吃海鲜	to eat seafood

Memory Hook

海 (sea/ocean) plus 鲜 (fresh/tasty). Seafood is the freshest and tastiest gift the ocean gives us. When you see 鲜, think of the fish radical inside it, swimming freshly in from the sea. Coastal Chinese cities like Qingdao, Xiamen, and Zhoushan are famous for their 海鲜. Visiting a 海鲜市场 (seafood market) is one of the most memorable food experiences in China.