How do you say "earthquake" in Japanese?

地震

jishin

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "earthquake" is 地震 (jishin).

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Pronunciation

JEE-sheen, two syllables, a sharp 'ji' followed by a firm 'shin'.

Writing and usage

地震 is written using kanji. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

地震は街全体を揺るがした。

jishin ha machi zentai wo yuru gashita.

The earthquake shook the whole city.

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How to remember 地震

Jishin shakes out fast and hard, matching the sudden jolt of an actual earthquake.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 地震

How do you pronounce 地震?

JEE-sheen, two syllables, a sharp 'ji' followed by a firm 'shin'.

Is 地震 formal or casual?

地震 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 地震 written in Japanese?

地震 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as jishin.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Earthquake" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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