Japanese Phrases for an Earthquake or Other Disaster
Most trips to Japan pass without any emergency at all. Still, an earthquake alert on an unfamiliar phone in an unfamiliar language is unsettling, and a few phrases plus a basic plan make that moment much less frightening. The Japan Tourism Agency and the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) publish printable "helpful phrases" cards for exactly this, and the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) publishes what to do when an earthquake alert sounds. Here are both.
1. Get the alerts first: the Safety tips app
JNTO's safety site recommends Safety tips, a free push-alert app for visitors. It sends earthquake early warnings, tsunami warnings, and other weather warnings for Japan in 15 languages, including English, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish, Portuguese, Thai, and Indonesian. It also includes an evacuation flowchart, helpful phrases for talking to people around you, and links to disaster information.
Install it before you fly, and allow notifications.
2. When the alert sounds
An Earthquake Early Warning, 緊急地震速報 [kinkyuu jishin sokuhou] in Japanese, is the alert you may hear on phones, TV, or radio. JMA explains that it is sent a few seconds to a few tens of seconds before strong shaking arrives, and that close to the epicenter the shaking may arrive at the same time as the warning. That means there is no time to look anything up. JMA's core advice: remain calm and secure your personal safety based on your surroundings.
JMA's dos and don'ts by location (from its leaflet issued when the service launched on October 1, 2007, so check the JMA site for current wording):
| Where you are | What to do |
|---|---|
| Indoors, at home or a hotel | Protect your head and take shelter under a table. Don't rush outside. Don't worry about turning off the gas. |
| In a public building | Follow the attendant's instructions. Stay calm. Don't rush to the exit. |
| Outdoors | Watch for collapsing concrete-block walls, falling signs, and broken glass. Shelter in a sturdy building if one is close enough. |
| On a bus or train | Hold on tight to a strap or handrail. |
| In an elevator | Stop at the nearest floor and get off immediately. |
| Near mountains or cliffs | Watch for rockfalls and landslides. |
| Driving | Don't slow down suddenly. Turn on hazard lights, then slow down smoothly. If still moving when the shaking starts, pull over to the left and stop. |
3. Phrases for right after the shaking
JNTO's helpful phrases cards are designed to be shown or read aloud. The first two cards cover the moments right after a quake.
If a disaster strikes
- これは地震ですか？ [kore wa jishin desu ka] "Is this an earthquake?"
- ここはどこですか？ [koko wa doko desu ka] "What is the name of this place?"
- 避難所はどこですか？ [hinanjo wa doko desu ka] "Where is the emergency shelter?"
A 避難所 [hinanjo] is an evacuation shelter. It is the most important word on this page.
Asking about safety
- ここは安全ですか？ [koko wa anzen desu ka] "Is it safe here?"
- 安全な場所はどこですか？ [anzen na basho wa doko desu ka] "Is there anywhere safe around here?"
- ＿＿への地図を書いてください。 [＿＿ e no chizu o kaite kudasai] "Please draw a map to ＿＿ for me."
- 一緒に来てください。 [issho ni kite kudasai] "Could you come with me?"
The map phrase is especially useful when you cannot follow spoken directions. People can sketch the route faster than they can explain it.
4. Phrases for after you have evacuated
JNTO's later cards cover the practical needs that follow. In romanized form, as printed on the cards:
- Toire wa doko desu ka (トイレはどこですか) "Where is the toilet?"
- Kono kami ni kaite kudasai (この紙に書いてください) "Please write it on this paper."
- Wi-Fi ga tsukaeru basho wa arimasu ka (Wi-Fiが使える場所はありますか) "Is there anywhere I can connect to Wi-Fi?"
- Tabemono / mizu wa doko de kaemasu ka (食べ物／水はどこで買えますか) "Where can I buy food / water?"
- Kokusai denwa wa doko de kakeraremasu ka (国際電話はどこでかけられますか) "Where can I make an international call?"
There are also cards for medical treatment, finding information in English, Chinese, or Korean, and transportation, including how to ask when trains, buses, or airports will be back in service. All seven cards can be downloaded as PDFs from JNTO's Safety tips site.
5. A simple plan for your trip
- Install Safety tips and turn on notifications.
- Save or print JNTO's phrase cards; a phone battery can run out.
- When you check in, note your hotel's emergency exits.
- If an alert sounds: protect your head first, move later.
- Afterward, use 避難所はどこですか to find the shelter, and follow staff and officials.
6. Key takeaways
- The Safety tips app pushes earthquake, tsunami, and weather alerts in 15 languages.
- An Earthquake Early Warning gives seconds of notice at most; JMA says to stay calm and protect yourself where you are.
- Indoors, shelter under a table and don't rush outside; on a bus or train, hold a strap or rail.
- これは地震ですか, 避難所はどこですか, and ここは安全ですか cover the first minutes.
- JNTO's seven printable phrase cards cover shelter, safety, medical help, information, and transport.