The forest and the mill
Forestry work, ringyō, happens on the mountain: felling, thinning, planting and clearing undergrowth. Wood industry work happens in sawmills and processing plants where logs become timber.
Many of the words overlap, and it helps to learn both sets even if you only work in one place.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 林業 | ringyō | Forestry |
| 伐採 | bassai | Felling |
| 間伐 | kanbatsu | Thinning |
| 植林 | shokurin | Planting trees |
| 下刈り | shitagari | Clearing undergrowth |
| 丸太 | maruta | Log |
| 製材所 | seizaijo | Sawmill |
| 木材 | mokuzai | Timber |
Felling calls
Before a tree is felled, the crew agrees the direction it will fall, who is where, and the escape route for the person cutting. Then come the calls, loud and fixed.
Different crews use slightly different words, so learn exactly what your crew shouts and never use a variation of your own.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 木が倒れます！ | Ki ga taoremasu! | Tree coming down! |
| 離れてください！ | Hanarete kudasai! | Stand clear! |
| 倒す方向はあっちです。 | Taosu hōkō wa atchi desu. | We are dropping it that way. |
| 退避場所を確認しました。 | Taihi basho o kakunin shimashita. | I have checked my escape route. |
| チェーンソーを止めて！ | Chēnsō o tomete! | Stop the chainsaw! |
| 防護ズボンをはいてください。 | Bōgo zubon o haite kudasai. | Please wear your chainsaw trousers. |
Slopes, weather and wildlife
Japanese forestry often happens on steep slopes, in summer heat and far from buildings. Wasps and bears are real hazards in many areas, and lightning stops work.
These warnings need to be understood instantly, so learn them as whole sentences.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 斜面が滑りやすいです。 | Shamen ga suberiyasui desu. | The slope is slippery. |
| 足元に気をつけてください。 | Ashimoto ni ki o tsukete kudasai. | Watch your footing. |
| ハチの巣があります！ | Hachi no su ga arimasu! | There is a wasp nest! |
| ハチに刺されました。 | Hachi ni sasaremashita. | I have been stung by a wasp. |
| クマが出るので、鈴をつけてください。 | Kuma ga deru node, suzu o tsukete kudasai. | Bears come out around here, so wear a bell. |
| 雷が鳴っています。作業を中止しましょう。 | Kaminari ga natte imasu. Sagyō o chūshi shimashō. | There is thunder. Let us stop work. |
| 熱中症かもしれません。 | Netchūshō kamo shiremasen. | It might be heatstroke. |
In the sawmill
Sawmill instructions are about moving logs, measuring boards and working safely around blades and conveyors. Measurements are usually in millimetres, so numbers matter.
The rule for machines is the same everywhere: switch off the power before changing a blade or clearing a jam.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 丸太を運びます。 | Maruta o hakobimasu. | Moving the logs. |
| この板の長さは何ミリですか。 | Kono ita no nagasa wa nan-miri desu ka. | How many millimetres long is this board? |
| 寸法を測ってください。 | Sunpō o hakatte kudasai. | Please measure it. |
| 機械に巻き込まれないように注意して。 | Kikai ni makikomarenai yō ni chūi shite. | Careful not to get caught in the machine. |
| 刃を交換するときは電源を切ってください。 | Ha o kōkan suru toki wa dengen o kitte kudasai. | Switch off the power when you change the blade. |
| フォークリフトが通ります。 | Fōkurifuto ga tōrimasu. | Forklift coming through. |
Injuries, near misses and remote sites
Forest sites can be far from roads, which makes the description of where you are part of the emergency call. Know the site name, the nearest road and any landmark before you start work.
Near misses, hiyari hatto, are reported so the cause can be fixed. Reporting one is seen as helping the team, not as admitting a mistake.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ヒヤリハット | hiyari hatto | A near miss |
| けがをしました。 | Kega o shimashita. | I have been injured. |
| 指を切りました。 | Yubi o kirimashita. | I have cut my finger. |
| 救急車を呼んでください。 | Kyūkyūsha o yonde kudasai. | Please call an ambulance. |
| 林道の入口から十分ぐらい登った所です。 | Rindō no iriguchi kara juppun gurai nobotta tokoro desu. | We are about ten minutes' climb from the start of the forest road. |
Practise the location sentence for your actual site. In an emergency it is much easier to say a sentence you have already said than to build one.
Building the language season by season
Unihongo's Describe Symptoms at a Clinic mission is useful preparation for after an injury, when you need to explain what happened and where it hurts to a doctor who does not know the work.
- First day: your crew's exact felling and stand-clear calls.
- First week: slope, wasp, bear, heat and thunder warnings.
- First month: the names of your tools and the tasks of the season.
- In the mill: measurements, machine switches and forklift warnings.
- Always: how to describe where your site is.