지진
jijin[t͡ɕid͡ʑin]
The English phrase earthquake is 지진 (jijin) in Korean.
지진 is a noun used to describe the shaking of the surface of a planet. To describe the action of an earthquake happening or occurring, you can use the verb phrase 지진이 나다.
Meaning: shaking of the surface of a planet (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
jijin
Did you know?
- The phrase 지진이 나다 uses the verb 나다, which is the same verb used for 'a fire breaking out' or 'a cold starting'.
- While 'earthquake' is a physical event, the same character 震 is used in idioms to describe a 'shocking' or 'earth-shattering' piece of news.
- The word 지진 is composed of two Hanja characters: 地 meaning 'ground' and 震 meaning 'shake'.
Examples in context
- 어제 지진이 있었어?Was there an earthquake yesterday?
- 어제 지진이 났어요.eoje jinjini nasseoyo.There was an earthquake yesterday.
- 일본에서 큰 지진이 발생했어요.ilboneseo keun jinjini balsaenghaesseoyo.A large earthquake occurred in Japan.
Example conversation
Hyunwoo and Minji are talking about the news at a cafe.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo민지 씨, 뉴스 봤어요?Minji ssi, nyuseu bwasseoyo?Minji, did you see the news?
- 민지 Min-ji아니요, 무슨 일이에요?aniyo, museun irieyo?No, what happened?
- 현우 Hyeon-woo방금 큰 지진이 났대요.banggeum keun jinjini natdaeyo.They say a large earthquake just occurred.
- 민지 Min-ji정말 무서운 소식이네요.jeongmal museoun sosigineyo.That is truly scary news.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “earthquake” translations and entries 지진, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 지진, CC BY-SA 4.0.
