We tend to think that waves as water moving through itself, but actually waves are

energy moving through water.

Difference between a tsunami and a regular wave:

 How that energy is transferred
 How much energy that wave packs

Regular Wave propagates from wind blowing across the surface of the ocean.

Tsunami wave is propagated by some sort of underwater disturbance. These are

called Tsunamigenic Events. Things like underwater rock slide, an underwater
earthquake or an underwater volcano can all set off a tsunami.

A couple of tectonic plates sliding against each other on a fault line as possessing a
ton of stored energy. We call this Potential Energy.

When one tectonic plate suddenly slips beneath the other, this potential energy is
released as Kinetic Energy. This energy is transferred outward from the point of
origin in much the same way as when you take a rock or a pebble and throw it into
your pond, it creates ripples.

With a tsunami, these ripples, waves, radiates from the point of origin traveling at
hundreds of miles an hour, carrying with them a lot of energy.