lagoon

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 潟 has 15 strokes and appears in words for lagoons and tidal flats.
• Basic usage: 潟湖 is read せきこ, and 干潟 is read ひがた.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A lagoon and a tidal flat
  • 砂州の内側に広がる潟湖 is a lagoon extending behind a sandbar.
  • 干潮の時間に広い干潟が現れた describes a broad tidal flat exposed at low tide.
• Reading within a word
  • 潟 in 干潟 is read がた; the せき from 潟湖 is not used here.