bay

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 湾 has 12 strokes and appears in words for a bay and for a curved shape.
• Basic usage: 湾 is read わん, and 湾曲 is read わんきょく.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A landform and a shape
  • 小さな湾に漁船が何隻も停泊していた describes several fishing boats anchored in a small bay.
  • 木の板が湿気で少し湾曲していました describes a wooden board slightly curved by humidity.