氾濫

• Reading: はんらん
• Romaji: hanran
• Kanji breakdown: 氾 (han) — overflow, flood; 濫 (ran) — overflow, excessive
• Pronunciation: /han.ɾan/

Meaning

Flood; inundation; overflow; deluge. Water exceeding the bounds of its natural channel or container. Also used figuratively for an uncontrolled excess of information or things.

A sino-Japanese noun and verbal noun (する-verb) that describes water overflowing its banks and spreading across surrounding land. 氾濫 is a high-frequency term in disaster news and official warnings. Figuratively, it is widely used to criticise an overabundance of something — for example, misinformation or low-quality content flooding the internet.

Examples

1. 記録的な豪雨により河川が氾濫し、市街地の広い範囲が浸水した。 Record-breaking heavy rain caused rivers to overflow, inundating a wide area of the city.
2. 氾濫した泥水が家屋の一階部分を完全に飲み込んだ。 The floodwater completely swallowed the ground floors of houses.
3. インターネット上には根拠のない情報が氾濫しており、判断が難しい。 The internet is flooded with information lacking any basis, making it difficult to judge what is true.

Usage Guide

Context: natural disasters, news, figurative use

Tone: serious

Origin & History

Sino-Japanese compound. 氾 (han) means to overflow or spread out, and 濫 (ran) means to overflow or be excessive. Both components share the water radical 氵, reinforcing the meaning of water exceeding its bounds.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical–Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal