Pronunciation guide
How to pronounce tsunami
tsoo-NAH-mee - three syllables, stress in the middle; the opening 't' is often dropped to 'soo-'
US/tsuːˈnɑːmi/
tsuːnɑːmi
UK/tsuːˈnɑːmi/
tsuːnɑːmi
New to IPA symbols? Read the IPA guide.
What “tsunami” means
A very large and destructive wave, typically caused by a major disturbance under the sea, such as an undersea earthquake or volcanic eruption; a train of waves.
A large and generally unstoppable surge.
In a sentence
- A tsunami struck the coast after the undersea earthquake.
- Coastal towns installed sirens to warn residents of an approaching tsunami.
Definitions and examples are derived from Wiktionary, used under CC BY-SA 4.0, then edited by QuickPronounce. Pronunciation data draws on CMUdict.