Explore 震 in words for shaking, from an earthquake to a trembling voice.

The idea

震 has 15 strokes; follow the linked stroke-order diagram. In compounds it is read しん, as in 地震（じしん）, 震度（しんど） and 振動（しんどう, where 振 is a different character）. The verb 震える is read ふるえる.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingMeaning
地震じしんearthquake
震度しんどseismic intensity
振動しんどうvibration
震えるふるえるto tremble

Examples

  • 昨夜、大おおきな地震じしんがありました。There was a large earthquake last night.
  • 震度しんどは地域ちいきによって違ちがいました。The seismic intensity varied by area.
  • 机つくえの上うえのコップが振動しんどうで揺ゆれました。The glass on the desk shook from the vibration.
  • 寒さむさで手てが震ふるえました。My hands trembled from the cold.
  • 彼女かのじょは震ふるえる声こえで話はなしました。She spoke in a trembling voice.
  • 地震じしんの後あと、建物たてものの安全あんぜんを確認かくにんしました。After the earthquake, we checked the safety of the building.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

震度 describes the intensity of shaking at a place, not the magnitude of the earthquake. 振動 uses 振 rather than 震; compare their left-hand parts.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 地震 in hiragana.

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    じしん

    地震 is じしん: an earthquake. Learn the voiced じ with the whole word.

  2. Write the reading of 震える in hiragana.

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    ふるえる

    震える is ふるえる, meaning to tremble; える is part of the written word.

  3. Choose the missing kanji: 震＿（しんど）［度／土］.

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    度

    度 completes 震度（しんど）, the intensity of shaking at a location.

Use it today

Write 震 using the diagram. Cover the table, read 地震 and 震える, then make a sentence with one of them.