自然・防災

気象きしょう情報じょうほうを確認かくにんしてから山やまに登のぼる。

I check the weather information before climbing the mountain.

Usage 気象 is weather in the scientific sense: 気象情報 (weather information), 気象庁 (the Japan Meteorological Agency), 異常気象 (extreme weather). 天気 is everyday weather.

Remember it 気 (air) + 象 (phenomenon) → the phenomena of the air.

天災てんさいは忘わすれた頃ころにやってくる。

Natural disasters strike just when you've forgotten about them.

Usage 天災 = a natural disaster: earthquakes, typhoons, floods. 天災は忘れた頃にやってくる is a famous Japanese saying. Its opposite is 人災.

Remember it 天 (heaven) + 災 (disaster) → a disaster sent from heaven.

この事故じこは天災てんさいではなく、人災じんさいだと言いわれている。

This accident is said to be a man-made disaster, not a natural one.

Usage 人災 is a disaster caused by human error or negligence: 人災だ (it's the humans' fault). It contrasts with 天災.

Remember it 人 (person) + 災 (disaster) → a disaster made by people.

津波つなみ警報けいほうが出でたので、高台たかだいに避難ひなんした。

A tsunami warning was issued, so we evacuated to higher ground.

Usage 避難 = evacuation: 避難する, 避難所 (shelter), 避難訓練 (evacuation drill), 避難指示 (evacuation order).

Remember it 避 (to avoid) + 難 (disaster) → avoiding disaster.

台風たいふうで農作物のうさくもつに大おおきな被害ひがいが出でた。

The typhoon caused major damage to crops.

Usage 被害 = damage or harm suffered: 被害が出る (damage occurs), 被害を受ける (suffer damage), 被害者 (victim). Its opposite is 加害 (causing harm).

Remember it 被 (to suffer) + 害 (harm) → harm suffered.

地震じしんから十年じゅうねんたって、町まちの復興ふっこうが進すすんだ。

Ten years after the earthquake, the town's reconstruction has come a long way.

Usage 復興 is rebuilding a region after disaster or war: 復興する, 復興支援, 震災復興. 復旧 is restoring services like power and water.

Remember it 復 (to return) + 興 (to rise) → rising back up.

大雨おおあめで土砂崩どしゃくずれが起おき、道路どうろが通行止つうこうどめになった。

Heavy rain caused a landslide, and the road was closed.

Usage 土砂崩れ is a landslide of earth and rocks: 土砂崩れが起きる, 土砂災害 (landslide disaster). 地滑り is slower ground movement.

Remember it 土砂 (earth and sand) + 崩れ (collapse) → earth and sand collapsing.

この地域ちいきは地滑じすべりが起おきやすい。

Landslips happen easily in this area.

Usage 地滑り is a landslip, the slow sliding of a slope. It is also figurative: 地滑り的勝利 (a landslide victory).

Remember it 地 (ground) + 滑る (to slide) → the ground sliding.

落雷らくらいで停電ていでんが起おきた。

A lightning strike caused a power cut.

Usage 落雷 = a lightning strike: 落雷する, 落雷の危険. 雷 (かみなり) is lightning or thunder in general. 雷が落ちる also means getting chewed out by someone.

Remember it 落 (to fall) + 雷 (thunder) → thunder falling to the ground.

竜巻たつまきで家いえの屋根やねが飛とばされた。

A tornado blew the roof off the house.

Usage 竜巻 = tornado: 竜巻が発生する, 竜巻注意情報 (tornado alert). Tornadoes are rare but do happen in Japan.

Remember it 竜 (dragon) + 巻 (to coil) → a dragon coiling up into the sky.

吹雪ふぶきで前まえがほとんど見みえなかった。

In the blizzard, I could hardly see ahead.

Usage 吹雪 is a snowstorm: 吹雪になる, 猛吹雪 (a fierce blizzard). 桜吹雪 describes cherry petals swirling like snow. The reading ふぶき is special (熟字訓).

Remember it 吹く (to blow) + 雪 (snow) → blowing snow.

今年ことしの夏なつは猛暑もうしょが続つづいている。

This summer, the intense heat keeps going.

Usage 猛暑 = intense heat: 猛暑日 (a day of 35°C or more), 記録的猛暑 (record heat). 真夏日 is 30°C or more.

Remember it 猛 (fierce) + 暑 (heat) → fierce heat.

酷暑こくしょの中なか、外そとで作業さぎょうするのは危険きけんだ。

Working outside in this severe heat is dangerous.

Usage 酷暑 is severe, cruel heat, a written word similar to 猛暑. 酷 means harsh: 残酷 (cruel), 過酷 (grueling).

Remember it 酷 (cruel) + 暑 (heat) → cruel heat.

北海道ほっかいどうの厳寒げんかんの冬ふゆを経験けいけんした。

I experienced a bitterly cold Hokkaido winter.

Usage 厳寒 = severe cold, a written word: 厳寒期 (the coldest season), 厳寒の地. 極寒 (ごっかん) is even colder.

Remember it 厳 (severe) + 寒 (cold) → severe cold.

冷夏れいかのせいで、米こめの収穫しゅうかくが減へった。

Because of the cool summer, the rice harvest shrank.

Usage 冷夏 is an unusually cool summer, bad for rice crops and summer sales. Its pair is 暖冬 (a mild winter).

Remember it 冷 (cold) + 夏 (summer) → a cold summer.

今年ことしは暖冬だんとうで、雪ゆきがほとんど降ふらなかった。

This year was a mild winter, and it hardly snowed.

Usage 暖冬 = a mild, warm winter: 暖冬の影響 (the effects of a mild winter), bad news for ski resorts. Its pair is 冷夏.

Remember it 暖 (warm) + 冬 (winter) → a warm winter.

雨あめが降ふらず、干かんばつで作物さくもつが育そだたない。

There's been no rain, and the drought means crops aren't growing.

Usage 干ばつ = drought: 干ばつが続く, 干ばつ被害. The original spelling is 旱魃; 干 now stands in for the rare 旱. 水不足 (water shortage) is the everyday word.

Remember it 干 (to dry out) + ばつ (魃, an ancient drought demon) → the demon that dries the land.

台風たいふうの影響えいきょうで高波たかなみに注意ちゅういが必要ひつようだ。

Watch out for high waves because of the typhoon.

Usage 高波 = high waves, heard in weather warnings: 高波に注意, 高波警報. 津波 is a tsunami, a different phenomenon.

Remember it 高 (high) + 波 (wave) → high waves.

大雨おおあめで川かわが氾濫はんらんした。

The river flooded because of the heavy rain.

Usage 氾濫 is a river overflowing: 川が氾濫する. Figuratively, a flood of things: 情報の氾濫 (information overload).

Remember it 氾 (to overflow) + 濫 (to overflow) → both halves carry 氵 (water): water spilling everywhere.

堤防ていぼうが決壊けっかいして、町まちが水みずに浸つかった。

The levee burst and the town was flooded.

Usage 決壊 is a dam or embankment bursting: 堤防が決壊する, ダムの決壊. 氾濫 is the river overflowing its banks.

Remember it 決 (to break open) + 壊 (to collapse) → breaking open and collapsing.

台風たいふうで町まち全体ぜんたいが停電ていでんした。

The whole town lost power in the typhoon.

Usage 停電 = a power cut: 停電する, 停電が起きる, 計画停電 (rolling blackouts). 断水 is a water outage.

Remember it 停 (to stop) + 電 (electricity) → electricity stopping.

水道すいどう工事こうじのため、明日あしたは断水だんすいする。

The water will be cut off tomorrow because of work on the pipes.

Usage 断水 = a water outage: 断水する, 断水のお知らせ (notice of water cut). It is a common problem after earthquakes.

Remember it 断 (to cut off) + 水 (water) → water cut off.

大おおきな地震じしんの後あと、余震よしんが何度なんども続つづいた。

After the big earthquake, aftershocks kept coming.

Usage 余震 = an aftershock: 余震が続く, 余震に注意. The main quake is 本震 (ほんしん).

Remember it 余 (leftover) + 震 (quake) → leftover quakes.

地震じしんの震源しんげんは海うみの近ちかくだった。

The earthquake's epicenter was near the sea.

Usage 震源 is the hypocenter or epicenter: 震源地 (epicenter), 震源の深さ (depth of the focus). Figuratively, the source of something: 噂の震源.

Remember it 震 (quake) + 源 (source) → the source of the quake.

東京とうきょうでは震度しんど四よんの揺ゆれを観測かんそくした。

Tokyo recorded shaking of seismic intensity 4.

Usage 震度 is Japan's seismic intensity scale, from 0 to 7, measuring shaking at a location. マグニチュード measures the quake's total energy.

Remember it 震 (quake) + 度 (degree) → the degree of shaking.

大雨おおあめ警報けいほうが出でたので、学校がっこうが休やすみになった。

A heavy rain warning was issued, so school was cancelled.

Usage 警報 is an official warning: 大雨警報, 警報が出る / 解除される (be issued / lifted), 火災警報 (fire alarm). 注意報 is a milder advisory.

Remember it 警 (to warn) + 報 (to report) → reporting a warning.

乾燥かんそう注意報ちゅういほうが出でているので、火ひの取とり扱あつかいに気きをつけよう。

There's a dry-air advisory out, so be careful with fire.

Usage 注意報 is a weather advisory, one step below a 警報 (warning). The scale goes 注意報 → 警報 → 特別警報 (emergency warning).

Remember it 注意 (caution) + 報 (report) → a report urging caution.

地震じしんの後あと、多おおくの人ひとが避難所ひなんじょで生活せいかつした。

After the earthquake, many people lived in evacuation shelters.

Usage 避難所 is an evacuation shelter, often a school gym: 避難所に行く, 避難所生活 (life in a shelter). 避難場所 is an outdoor evacuation site.

Remember it 避難 (evacuation) + 所 (place) → the evacuation place.

災害さいがいに備そなえて、水みずと食料しょくりょうを備蓄びちくしている。

I'm stockpiling water and food in case of disaster.

Usage 備蓄 is stockpiling for emergencies: 備蓄する, 備蓄品 (emergency supplies), 備蓄米 (reserve rice). Japanese guidance suggests three days' supplies.

Remember it 備 (to prepare) + 蓄 (to store) → storing in preparation.

山やまで遭難そうなんした人ひとがヘリコプターで救助きゅうじょされた。

The people stranded on the mountain were rescued by helicopter.

Usage 救助 = rescue: 救助する, 救助隊 (rescue team), 人命救助 (saving lives). 救援 is relief aid more broadly.

Remember it 救 (to save) + 助 (to help) → saving and helping.

近所きんじょの人ひとたちが協力きょうりょくして消火しょうかした。

The neighbors worked together to put out the fire.

Usage 消火 = extinguishing a fire: 消火する, 消火器 (fire extinguisher), 消火活動 (firefighting). Don't confuse with 消化 (しょうか, digestion).

Remember it 消 (to put out) + 火 (fire) → putting out a fire.

火事かじは三時間さんじかん後ごにようやく鎮火ちんかした。

The fire was finally brought under control three hours later.

Usage 鎮火 is a fire being brought fully under control, a news word: 鎮火する, ほぼ鎮火 (almost under control). 消火 is the act of fighting it.

Remember it 鎮 (to calm, suppress) + 火 (fire) → the fire calmed down.

地震じしんで多おおくの家いえが全壊ぜんかいした。

Many houses were completely destroyed in the earthquake.

Usage 全壊 is a building being completely destroyed, used in official damage counts: 全壊, 半壊 (half destroyed), 一部損壊 (partially damaged).

Remember it 全 (whole) + 壊 (to collapse) → collapsing completely.

台風たいふうで家いえが半壊はんかいし、住すめなくなった。

The house was half destroyed in the typhoon and became uninhabitable.

Usage 半壊 means a building is partially destroyed, one grade below 全壊. The damage grade decides how much government aid a household gets.

Remember it 半 (half) + 壊 (to collapse) → half collapsed.

台風たいふうが近ちかづくと気圧きあつが下さがる。

Air pressure drops as a typhoon approaches.

Usage 気圧 = atmospheric pressure: 高気圧 (high pressure), 低気圧 (low pressure), 気圧の変化で頭が痛い (headaches from pressure changes, a common complaint).

Remember it 気 (air) + 圧 (pressure) → air pressure.

日本にほんの夏なつは湿度しつどが高たかくて蒸むし暑あつい。

Japanese summers are humid and muggy.

Usage 湿度 = humidity: 湿度が高い / 低い, 湿度計 (hygrometer). 湿気 (しっけ) is dampness in the air or a room.

Remember it 湿 (damp) + 度 (degree) → the degree of dampness.

大雨おおあめで川かわが濁流だくりゅうとなり、橋はしが流ながされた。

Heavy rain turned the river into a muddy torrent, and the bridge was washed away.

Usage 濁流 is a muddy, fast-flowing torrent, common in flood reports: 濁流にのまれる (be swept away by the torrent). 清流 (せいりゅう) is a clear stream.

Remember it 濁 (muddy) + 流 (current) → a muddy current.

マグニチュード七ななの大おおきな地震じしんが起おきた。

A large magnitude 7 earthquake struck.

Usage マグニチュード measures the energy an earthquake releases, written M7.0 and so on. 震度 measures how strongly it shakes in a particular place.

Remember it From English 'magnitude'.

罹災りさい証明書しょうめいしょがあれば、支援しえんを受うけられる。

With a disaster victim certificate, you can receive aid.

Usage 罹災 means suffering damage from a disaster, an official term: 罹災証明書 (disaster victim certificate), 罹災者 (disaster victim). 被災 (ひさい) is the more common word.

Remember it 罹 (to suffer, be caught in) + 災 (disaster) → caught in a disaster.

毎年まいとし九月くがつ一日ついたちは防災ぼうさいの日ひだ。

September 1st every year is Disaster Prevention Day.

Usage 防災 = disaster prevention and preparedness: 防災グッズ (emergency kit), 防災訓練 (disaster drill). 防災の日 marks the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake.

Remember it 防 (to prevent) + 災 (disaster) → preventing disaster.