Abstract: By using the wave data observed in-situ at 5 representative stations in the Bohai Sea, the applicability of ERA5 reanalyzed wave data in the Bohai Sea is evaluated from three aspects including wave height, wave period and wave direction. The results show that the temporal variation trend of ERA5 wave elements is basically consistent with that of the data observed in-situ, but differences in magnitude are present. The statistical results of different elements at different stations vary also to some extent. Between the ERA5 wave data and the data observed in-situ, the correlation of effective wave height is the highest, being roughly above 0.9, followed by peak wave period and the correlation of mean wave direction is the worst. The correlation between the effective wave height and the peak wave period is the lowest at the station nearest to the coast. The error between the two elements is also largest at the station nearest to the coast. At the stations far away from the coast, the performance of wave elements shows better on the whole. As far as the data use of the three representative elements is concerned, the ERA5 wave elements require some correction in terms of magnitude, especially the wave direction data. The wave products from ERA5 have certain applicability in the Bohai Sea. Therefore, it is feasible to analyze the statistical characteristics of waves based on the ERA5 products.