1.
tornado; twister
A violent rotating column of air that forms over land, often causing destruction.
竜巻が発生した。
A tornado occurred.
竜巻で家が壊れた。
Houses were destroyed by the tornado.
2.
waterspout
A tornado-like phenomenon that forms over water.
海上で竜巻を見た。
I saw a waterspout at sea.
ETYMOLOGY:
竜 means "dragon" and 巻 means "roll" or "coil." The name comes from the tornado's appearance resembling a coiling dragon descending from the sky.
WEATHER TERM:
Tornadoes are relatively rare in Japan compared to the United States, but do occur occasionally. Japan uses the Fujita Scale (藤田スケール) to measure tornado intensity.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 竜巻が発生する: a tornado forms/occurs
- 竜巻警報: tornado warning
- 竜巻注意報: tornado watch