quake, shake, tremble, quiver, shiver
震 centers on sudden, often violent shaking: an earthquake, trembling with fear or cold, or quivering with emotion. The core idea is a strong, involuntary vibration.
震 combines 雨 (rain) and 辰, which likely acts as a phonetic component. The character originally referred to thunder or a shaking caused by a storm, extending to any violent trembling.
Rain 雨 pours down while the ground 辰 shakes violently: imagine a thunderstorm so powerful it makes the earth tremble.
For シン, picture a shin-deep puddle shaking during an earthquake: shin -> シン, and the ground quivers under your feet.
earthquake
shivering; trembling
great earthquake (disaster); highly destructive earthquake
earthquake disaster
seismic intensity
to shiver; to shake; to quake; to tremble; to quaver; to quiver
hypocentre (of an earthquake); hypocenter; focus
resistant to earthquakes
zhen (one of the trigrams of the I Ching: thunder, east)
aftershock
Great Kanto earthquake (1923)
shake; shock
severe earthquake; violent tremor
to (make something) quiver; to shake; to tremble; to vibrate
main shock (of an earthquake)
concussion (of the brain)
severe earthquake
shivering (with cold); trembling (with fear); shuddering
seismic motion
shock; tremor; impact; vibration