Essential Japanese words for earthquakes
A simple guide to the words seen in Japanese alerts, reports, television coverage and evacuation signs.
A JISHINDESU editorial guide based on the cited official and primary materials. It does not replace official safety information.
On this page
Three terms that are easy to confuse
地震, jishin, means earthquake. 震度, Shindo, is the intensity observed at a particular place. マグニチュード, magnitude, describes the size of the earthquake at its source.
One report can therefore contain one magnitude and many Shindo readings. M5.2 does not mean Shindo 5.
Scroll horizontally to view the complete table.
| Japanese | Reading | Plain meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 地震 | jishin | earthquake |
| 震度 | shindo | local shaking intensity |
| 震源 | shingen | earthquake source |
| 震央 | shin'ō | epicentre at the surface |
| 深さ | fukasa | depth |
Words for earthquake sequences
本震, honshin, is a mainshock, while 余震, yoshin, means aftershock. 前震, zenshin, means foreshock, but that label normally becomes possible only after a later, larger event.
群発地震, gunpatsu jishin, means earthquake swarm: many events without one clearly dominant mainshock.
Warnings and information
緊急地震速報, kinkyū jishin sokuhō, is an early warning issued after an earthquake starts but sometimes before strong waves arrive. 地震情報, jishin jōhō, is a broader term for earthquake information issued after an event.
津波警報, tsunami keihō, is a tsunami warning. 津波注意報, tsunami chūihō, is a lower-level advisory that still means dangerous conditions at the coast and in the water.
Scroll horizontally to view the complete table.
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 緊急地震速報 | kinkyū jishin sokuhō | Earthquake Early Warning |
| 地震情報 | jishin jōhō | earthquake information |
| 大津波警報 | ōtsunami keihō | major tsunami warning |
| 津波警報 | tsunami keihō | tsunami warning |
| 津波注意報 | tsunami chūihō | tsunami advisory |
Evacuation and safety
避難, hinan, means evacuation or moving to safety. 避難場所, hinan basho, is an evacuation place, and 避難経路, hinan keiro, is an evacuation route.
高台, takadai, means higher ground. Tsunami instructions may tell you to leave the coast immediately and move higher.
Scroll horizontally to view the complete table.
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 避難 | hinan | evacuation |
| 避難場所 | hinan basho | evacuation place |
| 避難経路 | hinan keiro | evacuation route |
| 高台 | takadai | higher ground |
| 安全確保 | anzen kakuho | securing safety |
Reading a message without knowing the whole language
First identify the information type: 緊急地震速報, 地震情報 or a phrase containing 津波. Then check the time, region, magnitude and maximum Shindo. During a safety warning, do not wait for a full translation when your surroundings or authorities indicate that you should act.
Machine translation can help with the description, but compare place names and warning levels with the official JMA version. Save multilingual official sources before travelling.