1.
breach in a levee, dike, or embankment; the point where a barrier has given way
The physical gap where a levee, dike, or other water-retaining structure has collapsed under pressure, allowing water to flow through. Appears often in disaster and flood reporting, especially after heavy rain or typhoons in Japan.
決壊口を塞ぐ。
To block the breach in the levee.
決壊口から大量の水が町に流れ込んだ。
A large volume of water poured into the town from the breach.
台風の影響で堤防に決壊口が生じ、周辺の住民は避難を余儀なくされた。
A breach formed in the embankment because of the typhoon, forcing nearby residents to evacuate.
Compound of 決壊 ('collapse, bursting — of an embankment or levee') + 口 ('opening, mouth'). The second element reads as 'ぐち' (rendaku from くち) because it is the second element of a compound. A term almost exclusive to flood and disaster reporting.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 決壊口を塞ぐ: to plug/block the breach
- 決壊口から水が流れ込む: water flows in through the breach
- 決壊口を修復する: to repair the breach
- 決壊口が広がる: the breach widens
- 決壊口が生じる: a breach forms/arises
RELATED TERMS:
- 決壊: (noun/する-verb) collapse or bursting of a levee or embankment
- 堤防: levee, embankment, dike
- 土のう: sandbag — commonly used to block a breach
- 氾濫: flooding; overflowing of a river
- 浸水: flooding, inundation (of an area with water)
- 越水: water overtopping a levee (without breaking it) — contrast with 決壊
USAGE:
Highly specialized to flood-disaster contexts. Heard frequently on NHK disaster bulletins and in newspaper coverage of typhoon damage.