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For Life
2006.07.18

Hello, and welcome back from the long weekend!

When the week begins with Marine Day (海の日), it's easy to come up with a theme! From now until Friday, we take to the seas!

Today's LessonCATEGORY: 混同しやすい言葉
WAVE vs. SWELL   波 vs. うねり

Explanation

  • A wave is a raised mass of water moving across the surface of the ocean. It may be either smooth or breaking.

    A swell is a long, smooth wave in open water.

    Be Careful! When swells begin to curl and break on the shore, we usually call them waves.
  • wave とは、大量の水が隆起して海面を移動するもの、つまり、波のことです。波の面が緩やかなものと砕けるもの、いずれの場合にも使います。

    swell とは、外洋で見られる長くて砕けない波、つまり、うねりのことです。

    注意：swell が、巻き込むように岸に近づいて砕け始めたものは、普通、wave と呼ばれます。

examples

  1. The ferry has been cancelled due to high winds and 5-meter waves.
  2. I love the sound of waves crashing on the beach.
  3. I hear that the Izu Islands have some of the best waves in Japan for surfing.
  4. Large ocean swells rocked the cruise ship, causing many of the passengers to become seasick.
  5. I felt like I was on a roller coaster as we rode the swells in our little boat.

英会話レッスンThus ends the Tuesday edition. It's good to be back on solid ground again!