South and East Asia Vocabulary

Confucius

• a Chinese philosopher whose teachings
• were developed into Confucianism
• POS: noun
• Fact: Confucius was a philosopher.

Hinduism

• a polytheistic religion that includes the belief
• of reincarnation
• Fact: Hinduism is the main religion in India
• POS: noun

Buddhism

• a religion based on the teachings of Buddha
• POS: noun
• Sentence: Buddhism is practiced by many
• people in China.

Taoism

• a Chinese philosophy based on the writings of Lao Tzu
• POS: noun
• Fact: Followers of Taoism are called Taoists.

Shintoism

• the traditional religion of Japan
• Fact: Shinto is polytheistic
• POS: noun

Tsunami

• a large sea wave usually caused by an earthquake
• POS: noun
• Sentence: Tsunamis occur in Japan.

Diet

• Japan's national legislature
• POS: noun
• Diet is also known as the
• Imperial Diet.

Samurai

• a Japanese military member in the past
• POS: noun
• Samurai are also known as bushi.

Intensive Cultivation

• farming that uses a lot of labour and/or machinery
• POS: noun
• Intensive farming is another name for intensive
• cultivation.

Demilitarized Zone

• an area where military is prohibited
• POS: noun
• Example: The Korean Demilitarized
• Zone

Caste System

• the Hindu system of hereditary distinctions
• based on castes
• POS: noun
• Example: the Indian caste system

Four Noble Truths

• the doctrines of Buddha
• POS: noun
• One of the Four Noble Truths
• is the truth of suffering.

Peninsula

• a piece of land almost surrounded by water
• Example: the Korean Peninsula
• POS: noun

Kami

• a god or spiritual force in Shinto
• POS: noun
• Example: Hachiman

Domino Theory

• the theory that a political event in one
• country will cause similar events in nearby countries
• POS: noun
• Sentence: The domino theory was popular during
• the Cold War.

Monsoon

• a wind that changes directions with the seasons
• POS: noun
• Monsoons blow southwest May - September, and
• northeast October - April.

Typhoon

• a tropical hurricane in the wetern Pacific ocean
• and China seas
• POS: noun
• Sentence: A typhoon occurred in China today.

Polytheism

• the belief in multiple gods
• POS: noun

Emperor

• supreme ruler of an empire
• POS: noun
• Japan has an emperor.

Reincarnation

• the belief that after death your soul comes back
• to Earth in another form or body
• POS: noun
• Hinduism believes in reincarnation.