Translation guide
The English word "deluge" can refer to a heavy downpour of rain, a flood, or a figurative overwhelming amount of something. This guide covers natural Japanese expressions for each meaning.
Describing a sudden, intense rainfall
Standard term for torrential rain or heavy downpour, often used in weather reports.
Last night, the roads were flooded due to a deluge.
Colloquial term for a heavy downpour, like 'pouring rain'.
It's a deluge outside, so you'd better take an umbrella.
General term for heavy rain; less intense than 豪雨 but very common.
There will be a deluge tomorrow.
Refers to localized torrential downpours, often causing flash floods. Used in news.
A localized deluge caused the river to overflow.
Referring to a large amount of water covering land
The most common word for flood or inundation.
The area suffered damage from the deluge.
Literally 'big water', a slightly less formal term for flood.
Overflowing of rivers, often used in compound with 洪水 (洪水氾濫).
Describing a large quantity of things, like information, requests, etc.
Used for a rush or flood of people, inquiries, etc. Often as ～が殺到する.
Orders deluged the new product.
Literally 'like a flood', used metaphorically for an overwhelming amount.
They received a deluge of criticism.
Literally 'mountain-like', meaning a huge pile or amount.
There's a deluge of paperwork on the desk.
To surge or flood in, used for crowds, waves, or large amounts.
豪雨 (gōu) is the formal term for torrential rain, often used in weather warnings. 大雨 (ōame) is a general term for heavy rain. 土砂降り (doshaburi) is a colloquial, vivid expression for a downpour, similar to 'pouring rain'.
Avoid directly translating 'deluge' as a single Japanese word in all contexts. Use the appropriate term based on whether you mean heavy rain, a flood, or a figurative flood.
川が大水で溢れた。
The river overflowed in the deluge.
豪雨で川が氾濫した。
The river flooded due to the deluge.
A deluge of protests poured in.