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Need To Contact Friends in Japan? We Can Help (Plus Learn Disaster Related Japanese Vocabulary)

** Updated ** 50% of all subscription purchases will be donated directly to disaster relief efforts. Please help us help Japan here.

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It’s been 1 week since the 9.0 earthquake and devastating tsunamis struck Tohoku, Japan. As students of the Japanese language, we know you’re deeply worried about Japan and it’s people. We also know that many of you have visited the country and have made close friends along the way.

We at Innovative Language Learning and JapanesePod101.com want to do all we can to help. Along with cutting back on electricity in Tokyo both at the office (the Innovative Language Learning office is closed until after the long weekend) and at home, we’re also doing what we can to help get much needed supplies up to the many evacuation shelters in Northern Japan.

Today, we’d like to offer you, our concerned listeners, some translated phrases that you may use to contact your Japanese friends in Japan. We don’t want the barrier of language to stop you from expressing how you feel. Given the resources we have access to as a Japanese language learning provider, it is the least we can do in these troubling times.

If you’re trying to follow along in Japanese, we’ve included some useful vocabulary words too. If there are more words and phrases you’d like translated, please leave them in the comments and we will do our best to translate them for you throughout the week.

Team JapanesePod101

東北関東大震災 – とうほくかんとうだいしんさい – Tohoku Kanto Region Earthquake
東日本大震災 – ひがしにほんだいしんさい – Northeast Japan Earthquake
地震 – じしん – earthquake
津波 – つなみ – tsunami
震災 – しんさい – earthquake disaster
震源 – しんげん – earthquake center
震度 – しんど – Japanese scale for earthquake (vs. magnitude, which only measure at the epicenter)

余震 – よしん – aftershock
復興 – ふっこう – recovery

被災者 – ひさいしゃ – disaster victims
避難所 – ひなんじょ – shelter
義援金 – ぎえんきん – donation
救援募金 – きゅうえんぼきん – relief fundraising
救援物資 – きゅうえんぶっし – relief supplies
安否 – あんぴ – one’s safety
行方不明 – ゆくえふめい – missing
救助活動 – きゅうじょかつどう – rescue operation
再会 – さいかい – to reunite

原子力発電所 – げんしりょくはつでんしょ – nuclear power plant
原発 – げんぱつ – nuclear power plant
放射線 – ほうしゃせん – radiation
被曝 – ひばく – exposure to radiation
自衛隊 – じえいたい – Self-Defense Forces
避難 – ひなん – evacuation

停電 – ていでん – blackouts
計画停電 – けいかくていでん – scheduled blackouts
買いだめ – かいだめ – stock up on
帰宅難民 – きたくなんみん – a stranded commuter
断水 – だんすい – water outage
節電 – せつでん – brownouts

災害用伝言ダイヤル – さいがいようでんごんだいやる – disaster message dial
災害ボランティア – さいがいぼらんてぃあ – disaster volunteers

[name]さん、そして、ご家族の皆様は大丈夫ですか?
[name]さん、そして、ごかぞくのみなさまは だいじょうぶですか?
Are you and your family OK?

大地震と津波、原子力発電所の事故のニュースを聞いて、とても心配しています。
だいじしんとつなみ、げんしりょくはつでんしょのじこのニュースをきいて、とてもしんぱいしています。
I heard about the big earthquake, tsunami and the nuclear power plant accidents, and I’m really worried about you.

ご無事を祈っています。
ごぶじをいのっています。
I pray for your safety.

私にできることがあったら、知らせてください。
わたしにできることがあったら、しらせてください。
If there is anything I can do for you, please let me know.

どうか、気をつけてください。
どうか、きをつけてください。
Please stay safe.

がんばれ日本!
がんばれにっぽん!
Don’t give up, Japan!

頑張ってください。応援しています。
がんばってください。おうえんしています。
Good luck! My thoughts are always with you.

被災された方々に、心よりお見舞い申し上げます。
ひさいされたかたがたに、こころよりおみまいもうしあげます。
I would like to express my heartfelt sympathy to all of Japanese people suffering from this disaster.

日本の皆さんの笑顔が一日も早く戻りますように。
にほんのみなさんのえがおがいちにちもはやくもどりますように。
I hope Japanese people can get smiles back on their faces soon.

** Updated ** 50% of all subscription purchases will be donated directly to disaster relief efforts. Please help us help Japan here.