The words of maps, geography lessons and the weather report on the news.
Practise this list
From these 40 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.
More about this list
Most of these words are Sino-Japanese compounds that stand beside a plain native word you already know: 河川 beside 川, 陸地 beside 陸. The compound is not a fancier synonym but the word of maps, textbooks and official warnings, so it is the one you will read in the news. The kanji do most of the work once you know them: 熱帯 and 温帯 are both climate belts, and 降水量 is literally “falling-water amount”. The weather forecaster on television uses exactly this vocabulary, and usually in the polite 〜でしょう.
The words
View
Verb (2)
そびえるto tower; to rise highVerbN2
町のどこからでも、雪をかぶった山がそびえているのが見える。From anywhere in the town you can see the snow-capped mountain towering above it.
冷え込むto turn very cold (especially at night)VerbN2
今夜はかなり冷え込むので、暖かくして寝てください。It will get very cold tonight, so keep warm when you go to bed.
Noun (35)
地形terrain; topographyNounN2
この辺りは地形が複雑で、道が曲がりくねっている。The terrain round here is complicated, so the roads twist and turn.
盆地basin (land surrounded by mountains)NounN2
盆地にある町は、夏は暑く冬は寒いことが多い。Towns in a basin are often hot in summer and cold in winter.
丘陵hills; hilly countryNounN2
駅の北側には、緩やかな丘陵が広がっている。To the north of the station, gentle hills stretch out.
峠mountain passNounN2
峠を越えると、急に海が見えてきた。Once we were over the pass, the sea suddenly came into view.
Also the peak of something difficult: 峠を越す, to be over the worst.
麓foot (of a mountain)NounN2
山の麓に小さな温泉宿がある。There is a small hot-spring inn at the foot of the mountain.
Also written in kana: ふもと.
尾根ridge (of a mountain)NounN2
尾根の上を歩くと、両側の谷が見下ろせる。Walking along the ridge, you can look down into the valleys on both sides.
渓谷gorge; ravineNounN2
秋になると、この渓谷は紅葉を見に来る人で混み合う。In autumn this gorge gets crowded with people who come to see the leaves.
河川rivers (collectively, formal)NounN2
大雨の日は、河川に近づかないでください。On days of heavy rain, please keep away from rivers.
The word of notices and reports; in conversation say 川.
河口river mouth; estuaryNounN2
河口の近くでは、川の水と海水が混じり合っている。Near the river mouth, river water and seawater mix.
流域river basin; catchment areaNounN2
この川の流域では、昔から農業が盛んだ。Farming has flourished in this river basin since long ago.
海峡strait; channelNounN2
海峡を渡るフェリーは、一日に何本も出ている。Ferries across the strait run many times a day.
岬cape; headlandNounN2
岬の先に白い灯台が立っている。A white lighthouse stands at the tip of the cape.
沿岸coast; coastalNounN2
沿岸の地域では、漁業で暮らす人が多い。In coastal areas, many people make their living from fishing.
離島remote island; outlying islandNounN2
離島には病院が少なく、急病人がヘリコプターで運ばれることもある。There are few hospitals on remote islands, so people who fall suddenly ill are sometimes taken off by helicopter.
内陸inland; the interiorNounN2
内陸の町は海から遠いので、一日の気温の差が大きい。Inland towns are far from the sea, so the temperature changes a lot over a day.
陸地land (as opposed to sea)NounN2
船の上から、遠くに陸地がかすかに見えた。From the ship, land could just be seen in the distance.
平原plain; open grasslandNounN2
見渡す限り、平原が続いている。As far as the eye can see, the plain goes on.
台地plateau; tablelandNounN2
この町は台地の上にあるので、洪水の心配が少ない。This town stands on a plateau, so there is little danger of flooding.
赤道the equatorNounN2
赤道に近い国では、一年中気温があまり変わらない。In countries near the equator, the temperature hardly changes all year.
緯度latitudeNounN2
緯度が高い地域ほど、夏の昼が長くなる。The higher the latitude, the longer the days in summer.
経度longitudeNounN2
経度が十五度違うと、太陽が最も高くなる時刻が一時間ずれる。Fifteen degrees of longitude make a difference of one hour in the time when the sun is at its highest.
標高altitude; height above sea levelNounN2
標高が上がるにつれて、空気が薄くなる。The air gets thinner as the altitude rises.
起伏ups and downs (of the land); undulationNounN2
起伏の多いコースなので、自転車だとかなり疲れる。The route goes up and down a lot, so it is quite tiring by bicycle.
Also of feelings: 感情の起伏が激しい, moody.
山岳mountains; mountainous (area)NounN2
山岳地帯では、天気が急に変わることがある。In mountain areas, the weather can change without warning.
Used in compounds: 山岳地帯, 山岳救助.
平地flat land; level groundNounN2
平地が少ない国なので、山の斜面にも家が建っている。The country has little flat land, so houses are built on the mountainsides too.
気象weather; meteorological phenomenaNounN2
気象の専門家によると、この冬は雪が多くなりそうだ。According to weather experts, this winter looks likely to be snowy.
The scientific word; 天気 is the everyday one.
気圧atmospheric pressureNounN2
気圧が下がると、頭が痛くなる人もいる。Some people get a headache when the air pressure falls.
前線front (in the weather); front lineNounN2
前線が通過するため、午後から天気が崩れるでしょう。With a front passing through, the weather will turn bad from the afternoon.
温帯the temperate zoneNounN2
日本の大部分は温帯に属し、四季がはっきりしている。Most of Japan lies in the temperate zone and has four distinct seasons.
熱帯the tropics; tropicalNounN2
熱帯の森には、まだ名前のない虫がたくさんいると言われている。Tropical forests are said to hold many insects that still have no name.
降水量rainfall; precipitationNounN2
この地域は降水量が少なく、水不足になりやすい。This area gets little rainfall and easily runs short of water.
猛暑fierce heat; heatwaveNounN2
猛暑が続いているので、昼間の外出は控えたほうがいい。The heatwave is going on, so you had better avoid going out in the middle of the day.
寒波cold wave; cold snapNounN2
強い寒波の影響で、水道管が凍った家もある。Because of the severe cold snap, some houses had their water pipes freeze.
豪雨torrential rain; downpourNounN2
記録的な豪雨で、各地の川が氾濫した。Record-breaking torrential rain made rivers burst their banks in many places.
雪崩avalancheNounN2
雪崩の危険があるため、この道は春まで通行止めだ。Because of the danger of avalanches, this road is closed until spring.
A reading that belongs to the whole word, not to its two kanji.
na-adjective (3)
なだらかgentle (of a slope); smoothna-adjectiveN2
裏山はなだらかな坂が続くので、子どもでも登れる。The hill behind the house rises in gentle slopes, so even children can climb it.
温暖mild; warm (of a climate)na-adjectiveN2
この地方は冬でも雪がほとんど降らず、気候が温暖だ。Snow hardly falls in this region even in winter; the climate is mild.
湿潤humid; moistna-adjectiveN2
日本の夏は高温で湿潤なため、カビが生えやすい。Japanese summers are hot and humid, so mould grows easily.
