津波

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 津波 is read as つなみ and is a noun for a tsunami, a large sea wave that reaches coastal areas.
• Basic usage: A model of a tsunami appears in 津波の模型, while the time after one appears in 津波の後.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A disaster term
  • 津波 does not mean ordinary waves seen at sea; it identifies a destructive large-wave event affecting a coast.
• Difference from 波
  • 波 broadly means a wave or waves, while 津波 specifically denotes the large-wave disaster known as a tsunami.