Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·Japanese ·1890s (scientific), 2000s (general)
Tsunami
from tsunami (津波) — "harbour wave"
- Meaning
- The destructive wave that reaches coastal harbours after a seismic event.
- Source word
- tsunami (津波) — "harbour wave"
- Route into English
- Entered scientific English after the 1896 Meiji Sanriku tsunami; general usage followed the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which displaced the older "tidal wave."
- Arrived
- 1890s (scientific), 2000s (general)
From Japanese
Two waves — Meiji-era diplomatic contact (1850s–1900s) and post-war US military presence (1945–) account for almost all Japanese loans in general English.
English borrows.
Browse the full loanword atlas or explore another source language.