The Meaning of sensui [潜水] In Japanese

潜水
せんすい
Romaji: sensui N3

What does 潜水 mean?

Translation and Meaning

submersion, diving

Definition

潜水 means the act of going underwater; it refers to underwater diving as an activity or the state of submerging beneath the surface, used in technical, military, and scientific contexts.

Type

Noun, suru-verb (名詞, サ変動詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • diving underwater as an activity or sport
  • submersion beneath the water level in technical or scientific contexts
  • appears in compounds related to underwater operation, such as 潜水艦 and 潜水士

Etymology

潜 + 水 form a Sino-Japanese compound; the readings combine as せん + すい to yield sensui, with the left radical signaling water and submersion.

Composition

  • 潜: to submerge, conceal
  • 水: water

Usage

In Japanese, 潜水 is used as a noun and in compounds to denote underwater diving and submersion; it can take the verb 潜水する to mean to dive, and appears in technical, military, and scientific contexts; for recreational diving, ダイビング is more common in everyday language.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: notice the water radical on the left of 潜; picturing someone slipping under the water helps recall the meaning of submersion and the concept of diving.

Variations

  • ダイビング (dai-bingu) — modern loanword for diving, common in recreational contexts
  • 潜水する (sensui suru) — to dive; verb form
  • 潜水艦 (sensuikan) — submarine
  • 浮上 (ふじょう, fujou) — to surface; antonym

Example Phrases

  • 今日は海で潜水を初めて体験してみた。
    Kyou wa umi de sensui o hajimete taiken shite mita.
    Today I tried diving in the sea for the first time.
    Lista:
    • 今日は (Kyou wa) – today
    • 海で (Umi de) – in the sea
    • 潜水を (Sensui o) – diving
    • 初めて (Hajimete) – for the first time
    • 体験して (Taiken shite) – experiencing
    • みた (Mita) – tried
    潜水 is a noun meaning ‘diving’; here it is the object of 体験する, shown as 「潜水」を体験する meaning ‘to experience diving’. The pattern 体験してみた uses the te-form plus みる to express ‘tried doing’.
潜水