雪崩
nadare[na̠da̠ɾe̞]
The Japanese word for avalanche is 雪崩, pronounced nadare.
雪崩 is used to describe a large sliding mass of snow and ice.
Meaning: large sliding mass of snow and ice (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of the kanji for 'snow' (雪) and 'collapse' or 'to fall/break down' (崩).
How do you pronounce it?
nadare
Did you know?
- The word nadare can be used metaphorically in Japanese to describe a sudden, overwhelming rush of things, such as a 'nadare' of people or even a 'nadare' of emotions.
- Beyond actual snow, the verb 雪崩れる can be used metaphorically to describe a sudden and catastrophic collapse of a system, a political party or a stock market price.
- The term 雪崩 is an example of 'jukujikun', a linguistic phenomenon where kanji are assigned meanings to fit a native Japanese word rather than being pronounced using their Chinese-derived sounds.
Examples in context
- 雪崩で道路がふさがった。The road was blocked by an avalanche.This sentence is useful for showing how an avalanche can block a road using the form 雪崩.Tatoeba #141957 by KK_kaku_, translation #12271251 by CK
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a ski trip.
- 大翔 Hiroto昨日のニュースで雪崩の話を見たよ。Kinou no nyuusu de nadare no hanashi o mita yo.I saw a story about an avalanche on the news yesterday.
- 陽葵 Himariえっ、本当に？どこで起きたの？E', hontou ni? Doko de okita no?What, really? Where did it happen?
- 大翔 Hiroto北アルプスの山の方だったみたいだ。Kitaarupusu no yama no hou datta mitai da.It seems it was in the Northern Alps mountains.
- 陽葵 Himari怖いね。安全に気をつけよう。Kowai ne. Anzen ni ki o tsukeyou.That's scary. Let's be careful about safety.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “avalanche” translations and entries 雪崩, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 雪崩, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
