All Episodes

January 29, 2024 6 mins

Happy New Year! (Better late than never, right?). This year started not too good in Japan, with an earthquake and a plane crushing. So, this time Yumi will talk about it. Have you ever been in an earthquake? Let us know in the comments below!

 

KEY VOCABULARY:

  1. 石川県(いしかわけん)能登(のと)半島(はんとう) the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture [石川県(いしかわけん) (Ishikawa Prefecture); 能登(のと) (Noto); 半島(はんとう) (peninsula)]
  2. 炎上(えんじょう)事故(じこ) crash that ended in inferno [炎上(えんじょう)(going up in flames); 事故(じこ) (accident; crash)]
  3. 海上(かいじょう)保(ほ)安(あん)庁(ちょう) Japan Coast Guard [海上(かいじょう) (maritime; sea service)保(ほ)安(あん)庁(ちょう)(National Security Agency)]
  4. 無事(ぶじ) no damage; unharmed; safety; security
  5. 奇(き)跡(せき) miracle
  6. 慌(あわ)ただしい constantly busy (with many events); whirlwind; fast-paced
  7. 慌(あわ)てない (です) don’t/ doesn’t panic [negative form of 慌(あわ)てる (to panic; to haste; to fluster)]
  8. 収(おさ)まる to quiet down; to calm down; to settle
  9. 冷静(れいせい) cool; composed; cool-headed [冷(れい) (cool; cold); 静(せい) (quiet; still)]
  10. 山(やま)津(つ)波(なみ) landslide; earthflow [山(やま) (mountain; hill); 津(つ)波(なみ) (tsunami; tidal wave); also called “山(やま)崩(くず)れ (landslide)”]
  11. ガスの元栓(もとせん) main valve of gas pipe/tank [majority of Japanese household use the propane gas or the city gas for cooking and possibly heating water]
  12. 訓練(くんれん) training; discipline; drill; practice
  13. うち履(ば)き indoor shoes [うち (inside); 履(ば)き (“foot wear”; noun form of 履(は)く (to wear/to put on (shoes)); also called 上履(うわば)き or ルームシューズ)]
  14. 散乱(さんらん)している is scattered around [from 散(さん)乱(らん)する (to scatter around; to scatter); (て)いる here indicates a state/condition of “glass pieces scattered around”)]
  15. 裸足(はだし) barefoot
  16. 来(きた)るべきして来(き)た ought have come (by now); due to come [literally, “came because it had to come”; a fixed phrase that sounds literary, archaic and formal to modify some occurrence that happened which was destined to happen in the hindsight; 来(きた)るべき (“should come”); して (as); 来(き)た (“has come”)]
  17. 南海(なんかい)トラフ巨大(きょだい)地(じ)震(しん) Nankai Trough mega earthquake [南海(なんかい) (Nankai);トラフ (trough); 巨大(きょだい) (mega; colossal; jumbo); 地(じ)震(しん) (earthquake)]
  18. 潜(もぐ)り込(こ)んでいる is slipping under [the continuous form of 潜(もぐ)り込(こ)む (to slip under)]
  19. ひずみ distortion; skewness; strain
  20. 跳(は)ね返(かえ)る bounce back; spring back; recoil [compound verb of 跳(は)ねる (jump; bounce) and 返(かえ)る (return; revert; turn back)]
  21. 100年(ねん)間隔(かんかく)で in 100 year interval [間隔(かんかく) (interval; space (in between); distance); で (in)]
  22. 耐震(たいしん)化(か) earthquake-proofing [耐震(たいしん)化(か) (earthquake-proofing; earthquake-resistant; earthquake-ready; 耐(たい) (resist; endure); 震(しん) (shake); 化(か) (“-ization”; “-ification”) is a suffix that means “to change into ~”)]
  23. 固(こ)定(てい)しておくhave (furniture) to be fastened/anchored [固(こ)定(てい)して (て-form of 固(こ)定(てい)する (to fasten; to anchor; to fix); (て)おくmeans “to have ~ done in advance for preparation of something)]
  24. 時(じ)限(げん)爆弾(ばくだん) ticking bomb; time bomb [時(じ)限(げん) (time- programed); 爆弾(ばくだん) (bomb)]

 

 

 

For upper beginners to intermediates. Listen to the short podcast and then answer the comprehension questions on the website: https://thejapanesepage.com/nihongonotane-index/

Take a quiz on this episode here:

https://thejapanesepage.com/podcast-nihongonotane-151

If you are a Makoto+ member, you can find the transcript, English translation, key vocabulary, and a downloadable PDF for printing:

https://MakotoPlus.com/podcast-nihongonotane-151-m

--

Become a Makoto+ member and get show notes with a complete transcript, translation, key vocabulary, and a downloadable PDF.

www.MakotoPlus.com

 

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
Boysober

Boysober

Have you ever wondered what life might be like if you stopped worrying about being wanted, and focused on understanding what you actually want? That was the question Hope Woodard asked herself after a string of situationships inspired her to take a break from sex and dating. She went "boysober," a personal concept that sparked a global movement among women looking to prioritize themselves over men. Now, Hope is looking to expand the ways we explore our relationship to relationships. Taking a bold, unfiltered look into modern love, romance, and self-discovery, Boysober will dive into messy stories about dating, sex, love, friendship, and breaking generational patterns—all with humor, vulnerability, and a fresh perspective.

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.