4 · 40 words
Natural disasters and emergencies
Earthquakes, floods, fires, warnings and the words of a rescue.
These are the words of the news and of the emergency text that every phone in Korea receives, the 재난 문자. Two ranks of warning are worth telling apart: a 주의보 is an advisory, a 경보 the stronger warning. Many words are built from short Sino-Korean parts: 재 means a disaster, as in 자연재해 and 이재민, and 구 means to save, as in 구조대 and 구호품.
The words
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Verb (8)
흔들리다to shake, swayVerb3
건물이 갑자기 흔들려서 책상 밑으로 들어갔어요.The building suddenly shook, so I got under the desk.
무너지다to collapse, fall downVerb3
오래된 다리가 폭우에 무너졌어요.The old bridge collapsed in the heavy rain.
잠기다to be submerged, floodedVerb4
밤새 내린 비로 도로가 물에 잠겼어요.The road was under water after the rain that fell all night.
Also “to be locked”: 문이 잠겼어요.
번지다to spread (of fire, disease, rumour)Verb4
바람이 강해서 불이 순식간에 옆 산으로 번졌어요.The wind was strong, so the fire spread to the next hill in an instant.
대피하다to evacuate; to take shelterVerb4
주민들은 근처 학교로 대피했습니다.The residents took shelter in a nearby school.
고립되다to be cut off, isolatedVerb4
폭설로 산속 마을이 며칠 동안 고립됐어요.The mountain village was cut off for several days by heavy snow.
구조하다to rescueVerb4
소방관들이 무너진 건물에서 두 사람을 구조했습니다.Firefighters rescued two people from the collapsed building.
실종되다to go missingVerb4
홍수 때 실종된 사람들을 아직 찾고 있어요.They are still searching for the people who went missing in the flood.
This list belongs to Nature, weather and the environment — nine lists and 359 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.