How to say "bay" in Japanese

• 湾わんJLPT N3approx.Common
  noun, noun (suffix)Covers a bay as a geographic feature — an indentation of the coastline where the sea reaches inland. It also serves for gulfs, and it is the word used in the names of bays.
  川かわは山やまから下くだって湾わんに注そそいでいる。↗

  The river descends from the mountains to the bay below.
• 吠えるほえるJLPT N3approx.Common
  ichidan verb, intransitive verbThis is the animal-noise verb: a dog barks, a wolf or hound howls, and a hunting hound bays. It can also describe a person roaring. It has nothing to do with bodies of water.
  犬いぬが郵便ゆうびん屋やさんに吠ほえた。↗

  The dog barked at the mailman.
• 江えCommon
  nounGlosses an inlet or bay, but as a standalone noun it is seldom the word you want; it really shows up in place names and in compounds for inlets. Use 湾 for a bay.
• 内海ないかいCommon
  nounPoints to an inland sea, a large body of water nearly enclosed by land, so it only loosely matches 'bay'. For an ordinary coastal bay it is seldom the word you want; use 湾.

For a bay of water use 湾; 「吠える」 is the verb for a dog or hound baying; 江 appears mostly in place names and inlet compounds; 内海 means an enclosed inland sea, not an ordinary bay.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 湾わんbay
• 吠えるほえるto bark
• 江えinlet
• 内海ないかいinland sea
• ベイbay
• 入り海いりうみbay
• 柱間はしらまbay (space or distance between two pillars)
• 吠え立てるほえたてるto bark
• 海湾かいわんgulf
• 入り江いりえinlet