災害|さいがいsaigai[0]heiban (flat)

1. nouncalamity; disaster; misfortune
   嵐あらしは、多おおくの災害さいがいを引き起ひきおこした。↗

   The storm caused a lot of damage.

• Synonym惨禍さんかWrittenWritten style. A ghastly calamity brought on by war or disaster; 災害 leans toward natural disasters like typhoons and earthquakes.
• Synonym災難さいなんNeutralUnexpected misfortune or bad luck, befalling an individual or a group; 災害 is damage from typhoons, epidemics, accidents and the like.
• Synonym天変地異てんぺんちいWrittenA four-character idiom for extraordinary convulsions of nature, upheavals of heaven and earth; 災害 is the more concrete term.
• Synonym災禍さいかWrittenWritten style for calamity or disaster; 災害 centers on disasters at the natural and societal level.
• Synonym災厄さいやくWrittenWritten style for calamity or scourge; in daily conversation 「災難」 is the usual word.
• Synonym変災へんさいWrittenWritten and rare: a blanket term for unexpected accidents and calamities. 災害 usually covers natural disasters, epidemics, and accidents such as 「労働災害」.
• Synonym厄災やくさいWrittenWritten style for calamity and ill fortune; in everyday speech say 「災難」.
• Synonym奇禍きかWrittenWritten style for unforeseen misfortune that strikes; 災害 denotes damage from typhoons, epidemics, accidents and the like.
• Synonym厄難やくなんWrittenWritten and rare: calamity and ill luck. In daily speech 「災難」 is the natural choice.
• Related惨事さんじNeutralA ghastly, heartbreaking incident, as in 「大惨事」. 災害 refers to damage caused by typhoons, earthquakes, epidemics and accidents.
• Related災いわざわいNeutralCalamity or a source of trouble, common in general expressions like 「口は災いの元」; 災害 is a concrete disaster from typhoons, epidemics or accidents.
• Related壊滅かいめつNeutralUtter destruction, as in 「壊滅的な被害」; 災害 names the disaster itself, not the wiping-out it leaves behind.
• Related悲劇ひげきNeutralA tragedy or tragic event, and literally a tragic play; 災害 focuses on natural disasters.
• Related破局はきょくNeutralA situation collapsing into a miserable end, or a breakup or rupture of a relationship; 災害 is a disaster in itself.
• Related破滅はめつNeutralRuin or downfall, including the wrecking of one's own standing; 災害 is a disaster striking from outside.
• Related惨劇さんげきNeutralA ghastly tragedy, typically man-made; 災害 leans toward natural disasters.
• Related凶事きょうじWrittenWritten style for ominous happenings such as a death in the family; 災害 means disaster in the ordinary sense.
• Related禍まがNeutralThe same word as the entry above; the alternate form 「禍」 leans literary. It means calamity in general, while 災害 is specifically concrete disasters.
• RelatedカタストロフィーWrittenA loanword for a sudden, massive upheaval or a ruinous, destructive ending; 災害 is the more concrete term.
• RelatedトラジディーNeutralA rare loanword for tragedy; in everyday use say 「悲劇」.
• Antonym平和へいわNeutralAntonym on the peace-vs-calamity axis: a state of peace and calm with no disasters or troubles.
• Antonym安泰あんたいWrittenWritten-style antonym: being safe, stable and free from calamity or disturbance.

Use 「災害」 for damage from typhoons, earthquakes, epidemics and accidents. For unexpected bad luck say 「災難」; for a ghastly, heartbreaking event say 「惨事」; for utter destruction say 「壊滅」. The written forms 「惨禍」「災禍」「災厄」「厄災」「奇禍」「厄難」 and the rare 「変災」 can be replaced by these everyday words. Antonyms are 「平和」 and 「安泰」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 台風たいふう、洪水こうずい、地震じしん、噴火ふんか、伝染病でんせんびょうなどによる災わざわい。