洪水（こうずい、kouzui）
- flood

The Japanese word 洪水 （こうずい, *kōzui*） means "flood" or "inundation." It refers to a large amount of water overflowing its boundaries, typically rivers, lakes, or the sea, and submerging land. This can be caused by heavy rainfall, melting snow, dam failures, tsunamis, or other natural disasters. The severity of a 洪水 can range from minor flooding to catastrophic events causing widespread damage and loss of life.

⚫︎豪雨で川が氾濫し、洪水が発生した。 Translation: A flood occurred due to the river overflowing because of the heavy rain. ⚫︎その地域は過去に何度も大規模な洪水に見舞われている。 Translation: That area has been hit by large-scale floods many times in the past. ⚫︎洪水の被害を受けた家屋の修復には時間がかかる。 Translation: It takes time to repair houses damaged by the flood.

You use 洪水 to describe a flooding event, either a past occurrence or a potential one. It's used in news reports, weather forecasts, and conversations discussing natural disasters. It's a formal word, suitable for a variety of contexts where you need to precisely describe a flood. You could use it to discuss the causes of a flood, its impacts on a region, or disaster preparedness efforts.

洪水 is written in kanji as 洪水, with the reading in hiragana as こうずい. It is not typically written in katakana. There are no variations in the okurigana. The word retains its form.

⚫︎ 氾濫（はんらん, *hanran*): overflowing (of a river, etc.) ⚫︎ 浸水（しんすい, *shinsui*): inundation, flooding ⚫︎ 水害（すいがい, *suigai*): flood damage

While there isn't a direct antonym, words or phrases that describe the absence of flooding or its prevention could be considered opposing concepts. ⚫︎ 干ばつ (かんばつ, *kanbatsu*): drought ⚫︎ 治水 (ちすい, *chisui*): flood control

記録的な大雨により、町全体が洪水に見舞われた。 ・Translation: The entire town was hit by a flood due to record-breaking heavy rain. ・Explanation: This sentence describes a situation where a 洪水 has happened because of intense rainfall, affecting the whole town.

この地域は洪水のリスクが高いため、防災対策が重要です。 ・Translation: Disaster prevention measures are important because this area has a high risk of flooding. ・Explanation: This sentence explains that 洪水 risk is high and that safety measures are crucial for the region.

The kanji 洪 (kō) means "flood," "vast," or "overflowing," and 水 (sui) means "water." Together, 洪水 literally translates to "overflowing water" or "flood."