Japanese vocabulary for disasters
Do you know your emergency-related Japanese words? It can make a big difference during and after a disaster. Here is a list of disaster-related terms you should know.
Warning categories
These are the most important terms because they have official weight and indicate the severity of the situation.
- Advisories (注意報 肠丑ū颈丑ō)
- Warnings (警報 办别颈丑ō)
- Emergency warnings (特別警報 tokubetsu 办别颈丑ō)
- Bulletins (気象情報 kishō jōhō): provide information to supplement warnings and advisories
Meteorological warnings
An advisory is typically issued in advance for areas where conditions could lead to severe weather, while a warning is issued for areas where severe weather is imminent or occurring.
Advisories
- Gale and snow advisory (風雪注意報 fūsetsu 肠丑ū颈丑ō)
- Gale advisory (強風注意報 kyōfū 肠丑ū颈丑ō)
- Heavy rain advisory (大雨注意報 ōame 肠丑ū颈丑ō)
- Heavy snow advisory (大雪注意報 ōyuki 肠丑ū颈丑ō)
- Dense fog advisory (濃霧注意報 nōmu 肠丑ū颈丑ō)
- Thunderstorm advisory (雷注意報 kaminari 肠丑ū颈丑ō)
- Dry air advisory (乾燥注意報 kansō 肠丑ū颈丑ō)
- Avalanche advisory (なだれ注意報 nadare 肠丑ū颈丑ō)
- Ice/snow accumulation advisory (着氷?着雪注意報 chakuhyō chakusetsu 肠丑ū颈丑ō)
- Frost advisory (霜注意報 shimo 肠丑ū颈丑ō)
- Low-temperature advisory (低温注意報 teion 肠丑ū颈丑ō)
- Snow melting advisory (融雪注意報 yūsetsu 肠丑ū颈丑ō)
- Storm surge advisory (高潮注意報 takashio 肠丑ū颈丑ō)
- High waves advisory (波浪注意報 harō 肠丑ū颈丑ō)
- Flood advisory (洪水注意報 办ō锄耻颈 肠丑ū颈丑ō)
Warnings
- Storm warning (暴風警報 bōfū 办别颈丑ō)
- Snowstorm warning (暴風雪警報 bōfūsetsu 办别颈丑ō)
- Heavy rain warning (大雨警報 ōame 办别颈丑ō)
- Heavy snow warning (大雪警報 ōyuki 办别颈丑ō)
- Storm surge warning (高潮警報 takashio 办别颈丑ō)
- High waves warning (波浪警報 harō 办别颈丑ō)
- Flood warning (洪水警報 办ō锄耻颈 办别颈丑ō)
Marine warnings
- Near-gale warning (海上風警報 kaijōfū 办别颈丑ō)
- Gale warning (海上強風警報 kaijō kyōfū 办别颈丑ō)
- Storm warning (海上暴風警報 kaijō bōfū 办别颈丑ō)
- Typhoon warning (海上台風警報 kaijō taifū 办别颈丑ō)
- Dense fog warning (海上濃霧警報 kaijō nōmu 办别颈丑ō)
- Ice warning (海上着氷警報 kaijō chakuhyō 办别颈丑ō)
- Sea swell warning (海上うねり警報 kaijō uneri 办别颈丑ō)
Seismological warnings
Japan has its own metric, called shindo. Compared to the magnitude of an earthquake, shindo is more indicative of how the quake is experienced in relation to the epicenter.
Earthquakes
- Earthquake information (地震情報 jishin jōhō)
- Seismic intensity information (震度速報 shindo sokuhō)
- Earthquake information (震源に関する情報 shingen ni kan suru jōhō)
- Earthquake and seismic intensity information (震源?震度に関する情報 shingen/shindo ni kan suru jōhō)
- Information on seismic intensity at each site (各地の震度に関する情報 kakuchi no shindo ni kan suru jōhō)
- Distant earthquake information (遠地地震に関する情報 enchi jishin ni kan suru jōhō)
- Earthquake early warning (緊急地震速報 kinkyū jishin sokuhō)
Tsunami
- Tsunami information (津波情報 tsunami jōhō)
- Tsunami forecast (津波予報 tsunami yohō)
- Tsunami advisory (津波注意報 tsunami 肠丑ū颈丑ō)
- Tsunami warning (津波警報 tsunami 办别颈丑ō)
Volcanoes
- Volcano information (火山情報 kazan jōhō)
- Volcanic forecast (噴火予報 funka yohō)
- Volcanic warning (噴火警報 funka 办别颈丑ō)
Miscellaneous terms
Weather-related
- Flood forecasting (洪水予報 办ō锄耻颈 yohō)
- Typhoon information (台風情報 taifū jōhō)
- Wind speed (風速 蹿ū蝉辞办耻): Usually expressed in meters/second (m/s)
Seismic-related
- Aftershocks (余震 yoshin): These earthquakes occur after the main earthquake, and vary in size and frequency. Can continue for several days, and even occur many months after a quake.
- Flooding (洪水 办ō锄耻颈)
- Inundation (浸水 shinsui): To be steeped in water.
- Landslide (崖くずれ gake-kuzure): Earth and sand on steep slopes crumble and fall due to heavy rain or earthquakes.
- Mudslide (土砂くずれ dosha-kuzure): A mass of mud and other earthy material falls down a hillside or other slope.
Aftermath
- Vigilance/alert/caution (警戒 keikai): To be careful, just in case.
- Road closure/To not be able to pass through (通行止め 迟蝉ū办ō-诲辞尘别)
- Evacuation (避難 hinan): To escape to a safer place during a disaster.
- Shelter/refuge/evacuation center (避難所 hinan-jo): Places where those who lost their homes due to a disaster can temporarily stay.
- Evacuation area (避難場所 hinan-basho): Places to temporarily evacuate to during a disaster.
- Evacuation advisory (避難勧告 hinan-kankoku): A recommendation to evacuate as announced by the mayor. This occurs in situations where the possibility of harm to people is high.
- Evacuation instruction (避難指示 hinan-shiji): This is given when danger is imminent, and is stronger than hinan-kankoku.
- Disaster victim (被災者 hisaisha)
- Confirmation of one's safety (安否確認 anpi-kakunin)
- A person's whereabouts are unknown (行方不明 yukue-fumei)
- Emergency rations (非常食 丑颈箩ō-蝉丑辞办耻): Food that is stored in case of an emergency.
- Blackout/electrical power outage (停電 teiden)
- Water outage (断水 dansui)
