Japanese with Manga
Learning through examples in manga

A submerged town with 水没

Manga panel from ARIA The MASTERPIECE showing example of A submerged town with 水没.
ARIA The MASTERPIECE » Volume 1 » Page 104

While out buying cat food during acqua alta, when tides have risen onto the streets, Akari is caught in a heavy downpour. She finds herself near Himeya Company, where her friend Aika lives, and she’s invited in to stay the night. As the two watch the falling rain through a window, Akari types an e-mail about her adventure that day.

灯里(あかり):
水没(すいぼつ)した(まち)(ある)いたり(たき)のような(あめ)()ったり」
“Walking through a flooded town or getting caught in a downpour...”

She finishes by writing that it was a wonderful adventure and an enjoyable day.

Key Points

  1. 水没(すいぼつ)した(まち) = “a town that was submerged / flooded”

    • 水没(すいぼつ) means being submerged under water, not just getting a little wet

    • In this scene, 水没(すいぼつ)した(まち) naturally means a town whose streets have gone under water from the rising tide

  2. 〜たり〜たり = listing notable experiences

    • (ある)いたり and ()ったり are たり-form verbs used to list representative actions or events

    • Basic pattern: Aたり Bたりする → “do things like A and B”

    • Here the sentence trails off after 〜たり, which gives it a reflective “things like…” feeling as she recounts her day

  3. (たき)のような(あめ)()う = “to get caught in rain like a waterfall”

    • (たき)のような(あめ) is a vivid comparison for extremely heavy rain

    • () is often used for unpleasant or unexpected experiences, so (あめ)() is “get caught in the rain” rather than simply “meet rain”

  4. How the sentence is built

    • 水没(すいぼつ)した modifies → “the town that was flooded”

    • (たき)のような modifies (あめ) → “rain like a waterfall”