Geography & Places

Introduction

Japan's diverse geography — from volcanic mountains to island chains — has a rich vocabulary to describe it. N3 introduces terms for geographical features, regions, and spatial concepts that you'll encounter in travel writing, news, and everyday conversation.

These words also help you understand weather reports and natural disaster coverage.

Themes

All JLPT N3 Vocabulary in This Chapter (25)

1. 大陸 たいりく Continent. Refers to any of the large landmasses of the world.
2. 半島 はんとう Peninsula. A piece of land surrounded by water on three sides.
3. 列島 れっとう Archipelago; chain of islands. A group of islands arranged in a line or cluster.
4. 平野 へいや Plain; open field. A large area of flat land.
5. 盆地 ぼんち Basin. A low-lying area of land surrounded by higher ground, such as mountains.
6. 砂漠 さばく Desert. A barren, arid region with very little rainfall.
7. 熱帯 ねったい Tropics. The region of the Earth near the equator with a hot climate year-round.
8. 温帯 おんたい Temperate zone. The climatic region between the tropics and the polar zones.
9. 寒帯 かんたい Frigid zone. The coldest climatic regions near the North and South Poles.
10. 赤道 せきどう Equator. The imaginary line around the middle of the Earth, equidistant from the poles.
11. 緯度 いど Latitude. The angular distance north or south of the equator.
12. 経度 けいど Longitude. The angular distance east or west of the Prime Meridian.
13. 標高 ひょうこう Elevation; height above sea level. The vertical distance of a point above mean sea level.
14. 火山 かざん Volcano. A mountain or hill with a crater through which lava and gases erupt.
15. 地層 ちそう Stratum; geological formation; layer. Layers of rock or soil deposited over time.
16. 鉱物 こうぶつ Mineral. A naturally occurring inorganic substance with a defined chemical composition.
17. 資源 しげん Resources. Materials or substances that have value and can be used for economic benefit.
18. 湾 わん Bay; gulf; inlet. A body of water partially enclosed by land.
19. 河口 かこう Mouth of a river; estuary. The point where a river meets the sea or a lake.
20. 水源 すいげん Source of a river; fountainhead. The place where a river or stream originates.
21. 滝 たき Waterfall. A cascade of water falling from a height.
22. 農村 のうそん Agricultural community; farm village. A rural settlement where farming is the main livelihood.
23. 都心 としん City centre; heart of a city; downtown area. Especially used for the central part of Tokyo.
24. 首都 しゅと Capital city; metropolis. The city where the national government is located.
25. 都 みやこ City; capital. A literary or traditional word for a capital city or grand metropolis.