Definition

1. Noun:
   • Estuary: A semi-enclosed coastal body of water where freshwater from rivers and streams mixes with saltwater from the ocean. It is a transition zone between river and sea environments.
   • Maritime Port: A harbor or port facility located on the coast, used for the loading, unloading, and shelter of ships. (Note: This meaning is less common in modern usage, with 'cảng biển' being the preferred term for a seaport.)

Usage Examples

• Noun (Estuary):
  • Cửa sông này là một hải khẩu rộng lớn. (This river mouth is a large estuary.)
  • Hệ sinh thái hải khẩu rất đa dạng và phong phú. (The estuary ecosystem is very diverse and rich.)
• Noun (Maritime Port - less common):
  • Thành phố phát triển nhờ vào hải khẩu sầm uất. (The city developed thanks to its bustling maritime port.)

Advanced Usage

• "Cửa hải khẩu": The mouth or entrance of an estuary.
  • Tàu thuyền ra vào qua cửa hải khẩu. (Ships enter and exit through the estuary mouth.)
• Used in formal, geographical, or scientific contexts to describe specific coastal features, such as (the Red River estuary).

Variants and Related Words

• Cửa sông (n): River mouth. A more general term for where a river meets the sea, not necessarily implying the mixing zone of an estuary.
• Vịnh (n): Bay. A broad inlet of the sea where the land curves inward.
• Cảng biển (n): Seaport. The modern and more common term for a maritime port.
• Estuary (n): The direct English equivalent for the primary meaning.

Synonyms

• Vùng cửa sông: River mouth area.
• Vùng nước lợ: Brackish water area (describing the water characteristic of an estuary).

Related Phrases

• Bảo tồn hải khẩu: Estuary conservation.
  • Bảo tồn hải khẩu là việc làm cần thiết. (Estuary conservation is a necessary task.)
• Hệ thống hải khẩu: Estuarine system.
  • Hệ thống hải khẩu này rất phức tạp. (This estuarine system is very complex.)

Related Idioms

• is a technical term and is not commonly used in Vietnamese idioms. Idioms related to the sea or rivers would use more common words like biển (sea) or sông (river).

1. Estuary