ライフライン
らいふらいん
noun
essential utilities; lifeline
1.
essential utilities; lifeline (water, gas, electricity)
The basic infrastructure services essential for daily life, including water, electricity, gas, and telecommunications. In Japanese usage, this loanword specifically refers to these utility systems, especially in disaster contexts.
地震でライフラインが止まった。
The earthquake knocked out essential utilities.
ライフラインの復旧に時間がかかっている。
It is taking time to restore essential utilities.
災害時に備えて、ライフラインが途絶えても数日間生活できる準備をしておくべきだ。
You should prepare to survive for several days without utilities in case of a disaster.
USAGE:
A wasei-eigo (Japanese-coined English) usage. In English, "lifeline" means a rope or rescue line, but in Japanese it specifically refers to essential utility infrastructure. This word became widely used after the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- ライフラインが止まる (utilities are cut off)
- ライフラインの復旧 (restoration of utilities)
- ライフラインの確保 (securing utilities)
- ライフラインが途絶える (utilities are severed)