1The open sea; the area of water some distance from the shore, often mentioned in fishing, sailing, and weather reports.
台風は明日の朝、四国の沖を北上する見込みだ。
The typhoon is expected to move north off the coast of Shikoku tomorrow morning.
漁師たちは夜が明ける前に沖へ出た。
The fishermen headed out to open sea before dawn.
沖に小さな船が一隻浮かんでいるのが見えた。
I could see a small boat floating out at sea.
今日は波が高いので、沖まで泳がないでください。
The waves are high today, so please don't swim out too far.
2A shorthand abbreviation for Okinawa (沖縄), occasionally seen in newspaper headlines or place-name lists.
新聞では沖縄県を沖と略して書くことがある。
Newspapers sometimes abbreviate Okinawa Prefecture as just Oki (沖).