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Seto Inland Sea

Seto Inland Sea

7.1
A sea between Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu in southern Japan with many small islands
  • proper noun
translation icon : Mar Interior de Seto
  • A ferry crosses the Seto Inland Sea from Honshu to Shikoku several times a day.

Examples

  • Fishing communities have thrived along the shores of the Seto Inland Sea for centuries.

  • The Seto Inland Sea is famous for its scenic islands and historic towns.

  • A ferry crosses the Seto Inland Sea from Honshu to Shikoku several times a day.

  • The Seto Inland Sea is known for its beautiful islands.

  • Have you ever visited the Seto Inland Sea?

  • Fishing communities have thrived along the shores of the Seto Inland Sea for centuries.

  • The Seto Inland Sea is famous for its scenic islands and historic towns.

Synonyms

Inland Sea
vsSeto Inland Sea
1 5.5

A wide sea in southern Japan between the islands of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu

emphasizes the same region while naming the largest coastal city

Surface Forms

Morphology

Seto + inland + sea

The core meaning — a sea that is inland or partially enclosed — is directly derivable from combining 'inland' (located away from the open ocean) with 'sea'; 'Seto' functions as a place name and does not alter the compositional meaning. Cross-linguistically the pattern 'X Inland Sea' is transparent, so a B1 learner who knows 'inland' and 'sea' would grasp the basic sense even if they do not know the geographic specifics of 'Seto'.

Etymology

Seto Inland Sea comes from the Japanese word Seto, meaning a narrow 'channel' between islands, and Inland Sea describes a sea that lies 'inside' the islands of Japan. So the name gives a picture of calm water protected among Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, which is why it refers to that sea today.