震央(しんおう)

しんおう
noun
epicenter (of an earthquake)
formaltechnicalgeography
1. epicenter (the point on the earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake)
The technical term for the point on the ground surface directly above where an earthquake originates. Distinct from the hypocenter (震源(しんげん)), which is the underground point of origin.
震央(しんおう)は海底(かいてい)だった。
The epicenter was on the seabed.
震央(しんおう)に近(ちか)い地域(ちいき)では被害(ひがい)が大(おお)きかった。
Damage was severe in areas close to the epicenter.
気象庁(きしょうちょう)の発表(はっぴょう)によると、震央(しんおう)は千葉県(ちばけん)南部(なんぶ)で、震源(しんげん)の深(ふか)さは約(やく)30キロだった。
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency's announcement, the epicenter was in southern Chiba Prefecture, with a hypocenter depth of approximately 30 kilometers.

Composed of 震(しん) (earthquake/tremor) + 央(おう) (center). This is the technical seismological term for the surface point above the earthquake origin. In everyday Japanese, 震源(しんげん) or 震源地(しんげんち) are used more loosely to mean "epicenter" even though they technically refer to the underground origin point.

Common collocations

Similar words

  • 震源(しんげん): seismic focus; hypocenter — the underground point where the earthquake originates
  • 震源地(しんげんち): the place of origin — often used loosely as a synonym for epicenter, and also used figuratively for the source of a problem

Related Words

Compare: 震源(しんげん) (seismic focus)
general
Added 2026.4.21 19:26 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
24500/24851_shinou