竜巻

• Reading: たつまき
• Romaji: tatsumaki
• Kanji breakdown: 竜 (ryu/tatsu) — dragon; 巻 (kan/maki) — coil, roll, wind
• Pronunciation: /ta.tsɯ.ma.ki/

Meaning

Tornado; waterspout; whirlwind. A violently rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground.

A meteorological noun. While Japan experiences tornadoes less frequently than North America, they do occur, particularly in flat plains and coastal areas during typhoon season. The word is written with the characters for 竜 (dragon) and 巻 (coil, roll), vividly evoking the swirling, dragon-like shape of the funnel cloud. Compound forms include 竜巻注意情報 (tornado advisory).

Examples

1. 突然発生した竜巻が農地と民家を次々と破壊し、甚大な被害をもたらした。 A suddenly occurring tornado destroyed farmland and houses one after another, causing enormous damage.
2. 竜巻の接近を知らせる緊急アラートが鳴り響き、住民は急いで建物内に避難した。 An emergency alert warning of an approaching tornado rang out, and residents hurried to take shelter inside buildings.
3. 発達した積乱雲の底から竜巻が地面に向かって伸びる様子が動画に捉えられた。 The moment a tornado descended from the base of a developed cumulonimbus cloud toward the ground was captured on video.

Usage Guide

Context: weather, natural disasters, meteorology

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Compound of 竜 (dragon) and 巻 (coil, roll, wind around). The word poetically likens the whirling funnel cloud to a coiling dragon descending from the sky.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal