瀬 means “rapids, shallows”

せ · se

Also: current, torrent

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

せ

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ライ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 19 strokes

The story

Water (氵) you rely (頼) on to be shallow enough to wade: shoals and rapids. 浅瀬 are shallows, 瀬戸内海 is the island-scattered Inland Sea, and 年の瀬 is the year's end, a last stretch of rapids before New Year.

Used in 浅瀬 (asase, shallows), 瀬戸内海 (setonaikai, Seto Inland Sea), and 年の瀬 (toshi no se, the end of the year)

More from Ships & Shores

• 潮 tide
• 艦 warship
• 艇 small boat
• 搭 embark
• 漂 drift
• 浪 waves
• 涯 limit
• 舶 ship
• 沙 sand
• 帆 sail
• 岬 cape
• 礁 reef

Learn 瀬 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.