N3 · 40 words

Landscape and geography

Islands, coasts, valleys, regions and the words for the land around you.

Japan is mountainous, volcanic and surrounded by sea, and its landscape words are correspondingly precise: a coast is not a sandy beach, a small wood is not a forest. Most of these nouns use the native reading when they stand alone (島(しま), 湖(みずうみ)) and the Chinese-derived reading inside compounds (半島(はんとう), 列島(れっとう)) — the same character, two pronunciations, which is normal and worth expecting.

The words

Noun (40)

島(しま)islandNounN3

日本(にほん)には小(ちい)さな島(しま)がたくさんあります。Japan has a great many small islands.

湖(みずうみ)lakeNounN3

湖(みずうみ)の周(まわ)りを自転車(じてんしゃ)で一周(いっしゅう)しました。I cycled all the way round the lake.

坂(さか)slope; hill (on a road)NounN3

うちの前(まえ)の坂(さか)は急(きゅう)なので、自転車(じてんしゃ)では上(のぼ)れません。The slope in front of our house is so steep you can't cycle up it.

景色(けしき)scenery; viewNounN4

山(やま)の上(うえ)から見(み)た景色(けしき)は本当(ほんとう)にきれいでした。The view from the top of the mountain was really beautiful.

地方(ちほう)region; the provincesNounN3

この地方(ちほう)は冬(ふゆ)に雪(ゆき)がたくさん降(ふ)ります。This region gets a lot of snow in winter.

Also everywhere outside the big cities, as opposed to the capital.

都市(とし)cityNounN3

大(おお)きな都市(とし)では、家賃(やちん)が高(たか)いです。Rents are high in big cities.

田舎(いなか)the countryside; one's home townNounN4

週末(しゅうまつ)は田舎(いなか)の実家(じっか)に帰(かえ)ります。At the weekend I'm going back to my parents' home in the country.

Also the place you come from, when it is not a big city.

谷(たに)valleyNounN3

橋(はし)の下(した)には深(ふか)い谷(たに)があります。There is a deep valley under the bridge.

丘(おか)hillNounN3

丘(おか)の上(うえ)から町(まち)全体(ぜんたい)が見(み)えます。From the top of the hill you can see the whole town.

A low, rounded hill; a mountain is 山(やま).

岸(きし)shore; bankNounN3

船(ふね)がゆっくり岸(きし)に近(ちか)づいてきました。The boat slowly came in towards the shore.

海岸(かいがん)coast; seashoreNounN3

朝(あさ)早(はや)く海岸(かいがん)を散歩(さんぽ)するのが好(す)きです。I like walking along the shore early in the morning.

砂浜(すなはま)sandy beachNounN3

裸足(はだし)で砂浜(すなはま)を歩(ある)くと、気持(きも)ちがいいです。It feels lovely to walk barefoot on a sandy beach.

崖(がけ)cliffNounN3

崖(がけ)の近(ちか)くは危(あぶ)ないので、入(はい)らないでください。It is dangerous near the cliff, so please keep out.

沼(ぬま)marsh; swampy pondNounN3

森(もり)の奥(おく)に小(ちい)さな沼(ぬま)があります。There is a small marsh deep in the woods.

湾(わん)bayNounN3

湾(わん)の中(なか)は波(なみ)が静(しず)かです。The water inside the bay is calm.

After a name: 東京湾(とうきょうわん).

滝(たき)waterfallNounN3

この滝(たき)は高(たか)さが百(ひゃく)メートル以上(いじょう)あります。This waterfall is over a hundred metres high.

山脈(さんみゃく)mountain rangeNounN3

窓(まど)から雪(ゆき)をかぶった山脈(さんみゃく)が見(み)えます。From the window you can see a snow-capped mountain range.

頂上(ちょうじょう)summit; top (of a mountain)NounN3

三時間(さんじかん)登(のぼ)って、やっと頂上(ちょうじょう)に着(つ)きました。After climbing for three hours we finally reached the top.

火山(かざん)volcanoNounN3

日本(にほん)には火山(かざん)が多(おお)いので、温泉(おんせん)もたくさんあります。Japan has many volcanoes, so it also has many hot springs.

平野(へいや)plain (flat land)NounN3

平野(へいや)には田(た)んぼが広(ひろ)がっています。Rice fields stretch across the plain.

半島(はんとう)peninsulaNounN3

この半島(はんとう)の先(さき)には小(ちい)さな灯台(とうだい)があります。There is a small lighthouse at the tip of this peninsula.

列島(れっとう)chain of islands; archipelagoNounN3

日本列島(にほんれっとう)は南北(なんぼく)に長(なが)く伸(の)びています。The Japanese archipelago stretches a long way from north to south.

大陸(たいりく)continentNounN3

飛行機(ひこうき)で別(べつ)の大陸(たいりく)へ行(い)くのは初(はじ)めてです。It's my first time flying to another continent.

県(けん)prefectureNounN4

私(わたし)は海(うみ)のない県(けん)で育(そだ)ちました。I grew up in a prefecture with no coastline.

Japan's main administrative division; after a name: 長野県(ながのけん).

村(むら)villageNounN4

その村(むら)には店(みせ)が一軒(いっけん)しかありません。There is only one shop in that village.

港(みなと)harbour; portNounN3

港(みなと)の近(ちか)くの店(みせ)で新鮮(しんせん)な魚(さかな)を食(た)べました。I ate fresh fish at a restaurant near the harbour.

野原(のはら)field; open meadowNounN3

子供(こども)たちが野原(のはら)で花(はな)を摘(つ)んでいます。The children are picking flowers in the meadow.

流(なが)れcurrent; flowNounN3

この川(かわ)は流(なが)れが速(はや)いので、気(き)をつけてください。The current in this river is fast, so be careful.

Also the course of events: 時代(じだい)の流(なが)れ.

波(なみ)waveNounN3

今日(きょう)は波(なみ)が高(たか)いので、泳(およ)がないでください。The waves are high today, so please don't swim.

水平線(すいへいせん)horizon (at sea)NounN3

水平線(すいへいせん)に太陽(たいよう)が沈(しず)んでいきます。The sun is sinking below the horizon.

地平線(ちへいせん)horizon (on land)NounN3

草原(そうげん)の向(む)こうに地平線(ちへいせん)が見(み)えます。You can see the horizon beyond the grassland.

At sea it is 水平線(すいへいせん).

宇宙(うちゅう)space; the universeNounN3

いつか宇宙(うちゅう)から地球(ちきゅう)を見(み)てみたいです。One day I'd like to see the Earth from space.

風景(ふうけい)scenery; landscapeNounN3

この写真(しゃしん)には五十年前(ごじゅうねんまえ)の町(まち)の風景(ふうけい)が写(うつ)っています。This photo shows the town as it looked fifty years ago.

The scene as a whole, often in a picture or a memory; the view in front of you is 景色(けしき).

眺(なが)めview (from a place)NounN3

この部屋(へや)は眺(なが)めがいいですね。This room has a lovely view, doesn't it?

土地(とち)land; plot of landNounN3

この辺(あた)りは土地(とち)の値段(ねだん)が高(たか)いです。Land is expensive around here.

地面(じめん)the groundNounN3

雨(あめ)で地面(じめん)が濡(ぬ)れています。The ground is wet from the rain.

高原(こうげん)highlands; plateauNounN3

夏(なつ)は涼(すず)しい高原(こうげん)で過(す)ごしたいです。I'd like to spend the summer up in the cool highlands.

国境(こっきょう)national borderNounN3

ヨーロッパでは電車(でんしゃ)で国境(こっきょう)を越(こ)えることができます。In Europe you can cross borders by train.

上流(じょうりゅう)upper reaches; upstreamNounN3

この川(かわ)の上流(じょうりゅう)には大(おお)きなダムがあります。There is a big dam upstream on this river.

下流(かりゅう)lower reaches; downstreamNounN3

下流(かりゅう)に行(い)くほど、川幅(かわはば)が広(ひろ)くなります。The further downstream you go, the wider the river becomes.

This list belongs to Nature, weather and environment — ten lists and 401 words that can also be practised as a whole.

Practise this list

Multiple choice and gaps, drawn from exactly these 40 words. Whatever you get wrong comes back tomorrow.