緊急

• Reading: きんきゅう
• Romaji: kinkyuu
• Kanji breakdown: 緊 (kin) — tense, tight, urgent; 急 (kyū) — urgent, sudden, hurry
• Pronunciation: /ki.ɴ.kʲɯː/

Meaning

Urgency; emergency. A situation requiring immediate action or attention.

A noun and adjectival noun describing situations that demand immediate response. Extremely common in official and public contexts — 緊急事態 (state of emergency), 緊急速報 (emergency alert), 緊急会議 (emergency meeting), 緊急着陸 (emergency landing). One of the most widely recognised N2 words due to its frequent appearance in news and public announcements.

Examples

1. 緊急事態宣言が発令された。 A state of emergency was declared.
2. 緊急の連絡が入ったので会議を中断した。 An urgent message came in, so we had to pause the meeting.
3. 患者を緊急搬送するために救急車を呼んだ。 An ambulance was called to rush the patient to the hospital.

Usage Guide

Context: news, government, medical, emergencies

Tone: urgent

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese 緊 (kin, tense/tight/urgent) + 急 (kyū, urgent/sudden). A doubling of urgency — both characters convey pressing immediacy.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal