* Origin: Tsunami comes from the Japanese words "tsu" (津) meaning "harbor" and "nami" (波) meaning "wave."
* Loanword: When the word entered English, it was adopted directly from Japanese, including the "tsu" part.
* Pronunciation: In Japanese, the "tsu" sound is represented by the character "つ" (which is written with a "t" in English).
* English Pronunciation: The "t" in "tsunami" is often pronounced more like a "ts" sound in English.
So, while the "t" isn't inherent to the meaning of the word, it's a reminder of its Japanese origins and how it was borrowed into English.