Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
洪水 (こうずい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Report an issue with this page
洪こう
水ずい
が
起お
き
た
。
Heavy rain made the river overflow, causing a flood in the town.
Please evacuate early because there is a risk of flooding.
Usage patterns 洪こう 水ずい が 起お こる for a flood to occur
Heavy rain caused the river to swell, and a flood occurred.
洪こう 水ずい に 見み 舞ま われる to be struck by a flood
That village is hit by floods almost every year.
洪こう 水ずい で 〈 場ば 所しょ 〉 が 浸しん 水すい する for a place to be submerged due to a flood
Many houses were flooded due to the flood.
〈 物もの 〉 の 洪こう 水ずい a flood (overwhelming amount) of something
The internet is overflowing with a flood of information.
洪こう 水ずい を 防ふせ ぐ to prevent a flood
The dam plays a role in preventing floods.
Related words 氾濫 specifically means a river or body of water overflowing its banks, while 洪水 refers to the resulting flood covering land more broadly.
浸水 describes water entering and submerging a specific building, vehicle, or area, whereas 洪水 refers to the larger flood event itself.
増水 simply means the water level has risen, whereas 洪水 refers to a full-blown flood that overflows and causes damage.
洪水 is the more formal, Sino-Japanese term for a flood, while 大水 is the plainer, more everyday word for the same phenomenon.
洪水 refers to the flood itself (rising water), while 水害 refers to the damage and disaster that the flood causes.
Opposites 干ばつ (drought) is a prolonged lack of water, the opposite disaster to 洪水 (flood), which is an excess of water.
洪水 means a flood or excess of water, the opposite extreme from 渇水, which means a shortage or dangerously low level of water.
Don't confuse with 洪水 (a flood) sounds almost identical to 降水 (precipitation) but refers to a completely different phenomenon.
洪水 refers to a flood or overflow of water causing damage, while 濁流 describes the muddy, turbid current itself, which may or may not be part of a flood.
豪雨 is the heavy rainfall itself, while 洪水 is the flooding that such rainfall can cause; learners often blur the cause and the result.
Etymology A Sino-Japanese compound written with 洪, associated with flooding or vast water, and 水, meaning water. The spelling directly reflects the idea of floodwater.
洪水 refers to an actual flood event, a large mass of water overflowing (e.g. from a river), while 水浸し describes the resulting soaked or waterlogged state of a place or thing.
