Harrowing scenes from Ukraine continue to make headlines as Russia shows no signs of stopping its march into the independent nation. That has meant a lot of coverage on the news and a lot of new vocabulary.

The first kanji you might be noticing more is 露 (tsuyu/ro/rō). The character represents “dew,” “tears” and “exposure,” and you may have seen it in words like 露見 (roken, discovery [of a plot/misdeed]) or 披露宴 (hirōen, reception [for weddings]). However, this kanji also represents “Russia.”

Take a look at this headline from the Sankei Shimbun: 露の「非友好国」指定に日本抗議 (Ro[shia] no “hiyūkō koku” shitei ni Nihon kōgi, Japan protests “unfriendly country” designation by Russia). By using the 露 kanji on its own, rather than spelling out ロシア (Roshia, Russia), the headline writer saves space.

Katakana is primarily used to write the names of foreign countries, but neighboring nations and those with historical significance to Japan also have kanji versions. It’s important to note that Ukraine is being written in katakana as ウクライナ (Ukuraina).

ロシアとウクライナの緊張は、プーチンが旧ソ連諸国への影響力を示すことによってエスカレートした (Roshia to Ukuraina no kinchō wa, Pūchin ga kyū Soren shokoku e no eikyōryoku o shimesu koto ni yotte esukarēto shita, Tensions between Russia and Ukraine escalated as [Russian President Vladimir] Putin sought to assert his influence over the former Soviet republic).

武力紛争を避けるために様々な国が外交的手段を尽くしてきた (Buryokufunsō o sakeru tame ni sama-zama na kuni ga gaikōteki shudan o tsukushite-kita, Various countries have tried using diplomacy as a way to avoid an armed conflict).

But despite those efforts, ロシアの軍事侵攻が始まってしまった (Roshia no gunji shinkō ga hajimatteshimatta, Russia’s military invasion [of Ukraine] was still started).

When reading about the current conflict, it might be good to have a dictionary handy. One term that comes up fairly often is 外交的 (gaikōteki, diplomatic). In the sentence above, the phrase 外交的手段 (gaikōteki shudan, diplomatic means) is being translated as “diplomacy.” You may have seen the term 外交的ボイコット (gaikōteki boikotto, diplomatic boycott) used prior to the Beijing Olympics, though, as many nations refused to send representatives to the opening ceremony in protest of China’s record on 人権 (jinken, human rights).

In response to the 軍事侵攻 (gunji shinkō, military invasion), the United States and the European Union have imposed 経済制裁 (keizai seisai, economic sanctions) on Russia that have so far included measures such as the 資産凍結 (shisan tōketsu, assets freezing) of プーチン大統領 (Pūchin daitōryō, President Putin) and the 承認停止 (shōnin teishi, suspension of approval) of the 天然ガスパイプライン「ノルドストリーム2」 (ten’nen gasu paipurain norudosutorīmu tsū, Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline). 経済制裁, 天然ガスパイプライン, I told you there would be a lot of new vocabulary.

As the conflict continues, so will the onslaught of terms used to describe it: 撃つ (utsu, to shoot), 攻撃 (kōgeki, attack), 襲撃 (shūgeki, assault), 銃撃 (jūgeki, gunfire), 撃墜 (gekitsui, shooting down [aircraft]). The kanji you want to remember here is 撃 (geki/u[tsu]). It is defined as 強く打ち当てる (tsuyoku uchiateru, to hit hard), and if you see it in a Japanese word, it is likely that the word has to do with some kind of an attack.

撃 words are often paired with the verb する (suru, to do), as in 銃撃音がする (jūgekion ga suru, there are sounds of gunfire), or with the verb 受ける (ukeru, to receive), as in ウクライナは今ロシアから襲撃を受けている (Ukuraina wa ima Roshia kara shūgeki o ukete-iru, Ukraine is now under assault from Russia).

While Putin has said that only 軍事施設 (gunji shisetsu, military facilities) will be targeted, ウクライナの民間人の犠牲者は日に日に増え続けている (Ukuraina no minkanjin no giseisha wa hini-hini fuetsuzukete-iru, the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine continues to grow day by day).

According to the UNHCR, more than 2 million Ukrainians have fled to neighboring countries. But, ウクライナの避難民は400万人に増えるという試算もある (Ukuraina no hinanmin wa yonhyakuman-nin ni fueru to iu shisan mo aru, some estimates say the number of Ukrainian evacuees will rise to 4 million).

That’s why 日本政府もウクライナの避難民を受け入れると表明した (Nihon seifu mo Ukuraina no hinanmin o ukeireru to hyōmei shita, the Japanese government has announced that it will also accept Ukrainian evacuees [into this country]).

Speaking to ANN news, 日本在住のウクライナ人の一人はできるだけ早く、簡単な手続きで多くの避難民を受け入れて欲しいと言った (Nihon zaijū no Ukuraina-jin no hitori wa dekirudake hayaku, kantanna tetsuzuki de ōku no hinanmin o ukeirete hoshii to itta, one Ukrainian resident living in Japan said that [he] hopes [Japan] will accept many evacuees as soon as possible through an easy process).

Living in Japan, even in peaceful times, you may have come across words such as 避難民 (hinanmin, evacuee) or 難民 (nanmin, refugee) before since these terms are used when 災害 (saigai, disasters) occur.

The final term that you’re likely to see pop up more often in the next few months is 戦争 (sensō, war), comprising the kanji 戦 (sen/ikusa/tataka[u], war/battle) and 争 (sō, araso[u], contend/dispute/argue).

At the moment, Ukraine is putting up fierce resistance against Russia, but 争いが続くと、悲しみも続いて、先が見通せない (arasoi ga tsuzuku to, kanashimi mo tsuzuite, saki ga mitōsenai, if the fighting continues, so will the sadness, and it is impossible to see what lies ahead).

Video footage from NHK showed many Ukrainian residents in the capital city of キエフ (Kiefu, Kyiv) taking shelter in a subway station that also serves as a 防空壕 (bōkūgō, air raid shelter).

「地下に子供もたくさんいてひどい状況です」 (“Chika ni kodomo mo takusan ite hidoi jōkyō desu,” “It’s terrible, how many kids are there [underground]”), one woman taking refuge told NHK.

「暴力と残酷な行為が早く終わることを願っています」 (“Bōryoku to zankokuna kōi ga hayaku owaru koto o negatte-imasu,” “I hope all this violence and cruelness ends soon”).