水泳（すいえい、suieい）
- swimming

The Japanese word 水泳 means "swimming." It refers to the activity of propelling oneself through water using the limbs, and often refers to the sport of swimming. It can also refer to the general practice of being in the water for recreational or health purposes. The word encompasses all aspects of swimming, from casual swimming in a pool or the ocean to competitive swimming.

⚫︎夏休みは毎日水泳の練習をしました。 Translation: I practiced swimming every day during summer vacation. ⚫︎水泳の授業は楽しいです。 Translation: Swimming class is fun. ⚫︎彼女は水泳が得意です。 Translation: She is good at swimming.

This word is commonly used in various contexts: ⚫︎ Talking about the sport of swimming. ⚫︎ Discussing swimming lessons or classes. ⚫︎ Describing one's ability or experience in the water. ⚫︎ Planning or talking about swimming activities, like going to a pool or the beach. It is a very standard and versatile word for talking about all things related to 水泳.

The word 水泳 is typically written with the kanji characters 水 (water) and 泳 (to swim). The reading is すいえい (suiei) in hiragana. There is no other way to write the word and there are no okurigana variations. 水泳 itself does not conjugate, however, related verbs may conjugate.

There are no direct synonyms for the word 水泳. However, you could use phrases to provide more details about the kind of swimming. ⚫︎ 遊泳（ゆうえい） - refers to swimming for fun or leisure. ⚫︎ 競泳（きょうえい） - refers to competitive swimming.

There aren't specific antonyms in the same way as other words. Instead, you might use phrases or related words to describe activities that are the opposite of swimming: ⚫︎ 陸上競技（りくじょうきょうぎ） - Track and field (which involves activities on land) ⚫︎ 水泳 is a specific activity; therefore it doesn't have an antonym.

毎週末、公園のプールで水泳をします。 ・Translation: I go swimming at the park pool every weekend. ・Explanation: This sentence describes a regular activity that involves 水泳.

オリンピックの水泳競技をテレビで観戦するのが好きです。 ・Translation: I like watching Olympic swimming events on TV. ・Explanation: This sentence discusses watching competitive 水泳 at the Olympics.

The word 水泳 is a compound word. 水（みず） means "water" and 泳（およ） means "to swim." The two kanji are combined to literally mean "water swimming". This straightforward combination reflects the fundamental activity being described.