速報

• Reading: そくほう
• Romaji: sokuhou
• Kanji breakdown: 速 (soku) — fast, quick, speed; 報 (hou) — report, inform, news
• Pronunciation: /so.kɯ.hoː/

Meaning

News flash; prompt report; bulletin; quick announcement. Breaking news delivered with urgency.

A noun and suru-verb for urgent, rapid reporting of news or information. Extremely common in media: ニュース速報 (breaking news bulletin), 地震速報 (earthquake bulletin), 速報値 (preliminary figure/estimate). Often appears as a banner on TV screens or push notifications on phones. Distinguished from 報道 (houdou, news coverage) which is more general — 速報 specifically emphasises speed and immediacy.

Examples

1. テレビにニュース速報のテロップが流れた。 A breaking news ticker ran across the TV screen.
2. 地震速報を受け取ったらすぐに安全な場所に移動する。 When you receive an earthquake bulletin, immediately move to a safe location.
3. 選挙の速報によると、与党が過半数を獲得した。 According to the election bulletin, the ruling party won a majority.

Usage Guide

Context: media, emergency alerts, sports

Tone: urgent

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese: 速 (soku, fast/quick/speed) + 報 (hou, report/inform/news). Literally 'quick report' — information delivered with maximum speed.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal