70+ Beautiful Japanese Nature Words to Inspire You

Besides being known for technology and sprawling urban spaces, Japan is also very famous for its lush nature spots!

Surely, you’ve seen photos of snow-capped Mount Fuji, huge Lake Biwa, or bamboo forests (or been there in the flesh!).

Here are 70 Japanese words for nature to color your vocabulary green (or any color depending on the season!)

We also included a number of seasonal words for spring, summer, autumn, and winter. There is also a short section for unique nature vocabulary.

Basic Japanese words for nature

These are some of the essential Japanese words for practically everything we see in nature.

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Romaji
Nature	自然	しぜん	shizen
Season	季節	きせつ	kisetsu
Landscape	景色	けしき	keshiki
Universe / Space	宇宙	うちゅう	uchuu
Earth	地球	ちきゅう	chikyuu
Sun	日 / 太陽	ひ / たいよう	hi / taiyou
Moon	月	つき	tsuki
Star	星	ほし	hoshi
Soil	土	つち	tsuchi
Tree	木	き	ki
Mountain	山	やま	yama
Leaf	葉	は	ha
Grass	草	くさ	kusa
Flower	花	はな	hana
Forest (little)	森	もり	mori
Forest (big)	森林	しんりん	shinrin
Grove	林	はやし	hayashi
Valley	谷	たに	tani
Hill	丘	おか	oka
Cave	洞窟	どうくつ	doukutsu
Field	畑	はたけ	hatake
Branch / twig	枝	えだ	eda
Tree rings	木目	もくめ	mokume
Moss / lichen	苔	こけ	koke
Bamboo	竹	たけ	take
Earthquake	地震	じしん	jishin
Fire	火	ひ	hi
Fire (out of control)	火事	かじ	kaji
Volcano	火山	かざん	kazan
Rock	岩	いわ	iwa
Stone	石	いし	ishi
Thunder	雷	かみなり	kaminari
Air	空気	くうき	kuuki
Wind	風	かぜ	kaze
Sky / Heavens	空	そら	sora
Cloud	曇	くも	kumo
Rain	雨	あめ	ame
Water	水	みず	mizu
Pond	池	いけ	ike
Lake	湖	みずうみ	mizuumi
River	川	かわ	kawa
Riverbank	河原	かわら	kawara
Sea	海	うみ	umi
Ocean	海洋	かいよう	kaiyou
Wave	波	なみ	nami
Tidal wave	津波	つなみ	tsunami
Waterfall	滝	たき	taki
Spring	泉	いずみ	izumi
Hot spring	温泉	おんせん	onsen
Island	島	しま	shima

Seasonal Japanese vocabulary for nature

Japan’s nature thrives in every season for sure! Here are some words that correspond to a particular season.

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Romaji
Spring	春	はる	haru
Cherry blossom	桜	さくら	sakura
Plum blossom	梅	うめ	ume
Flower bud	蕾	つぼみ	tsubomi
Summer	夏	なつ	natsu
Hydrangea	紫陽花	あじさい	ajisai
Sunflower	向日葵	みまわり	himawari
Rainy season	梅雨	つゆ	tsuyu
Autumn / fall	秋	あき	aki
Japanese maple tree	紅葉	もみじ	momiji
Japanese chestnuts	栗	くり	kuri
Winter	冬	ふゆ	fuyu
Snow	雪	ゆき	yuki
Snow flurry	風花	かざはな	kazahana

It doesn’t end there! You can read more about handy and beautiful seasonal Japanese words in these articles:

• 16+ Essential Japanese Words For Spring 
• 13 Words For A Perfect Japanese Summer
• 20 Beautiful Japanese Seasonal Words For Autumn
• 35+ Awesome Japanese Winter Words You Need To Know 

Unique and evocative Japanese words related to nature

Beyond the basic and seasonal Japanese nature words listed above, there are many unique and beautiful Japanese words relating to nature. Some of these words, such as shinrinyoku (forest bathing) reflect concepts that we don’t have in English, so they require a bit more explanation. Here are some of our favorite evocative and beautiful Japanese nature words.

Shinryoku

新緑

Fresh leaves

This word directly translates to ‘new green’, perfectly describing the fresh leaves of spring. When the cherry blossoms fall and spring deepens, Japan welcomes the shinryoku season (新緑 / しんりょく) to admire the lush green!

Kouyou

紅葉

Changing leaves during autumn

Of course it’s recommended to visit Japan for the cherry blossoms in spring, but autumn brings a beautiful blend of warm colors thanks to kouyou (紅葉 / こうよう)! This refers to the red, yellow, and orange leaves that change hues during the season. 

The kanji for kouyou and momiji or ‘Japanese maple leaves’ are the same! Did you catch that? That’s two ways to read one kanji!

Komorebi

木漏れ日

Sun rays shining through the leaves

Another way to translate komorebi (木漏れ日 / こもれび) is ‘sunlight leaking through trees’. It’s a beautiful and peaceful view that we can admire anywhere in the world, and Japan has a particular word for it!

Shinrinyoku

森林浴

Forest bath

A ‘forest bath’ is perhaps one of the best things to do to relax! Shinrinyoku (森林浴 / しんりんよく) is done by taking a refreshing, meditative walk through a forest. Not only do you get fresh air, nature’s natural healing helps clear your head.

Kogarashi

木枯らし

Cold wind in winter

One of the first indicators that winter is starting is kogarashi (木枯らし / こがらし) or the ‘cold wintry wind’! There’s no denying the excitement that comes with feeling that ‘brrrreeze’! 🥶

Hanagasumi

花霞

Flowers appearing like a mist

This Japanese nature word can be translated as a ‘hazy curtain of flowers’. Hanagasumi (花霞 / はながすみ) refers to the view of cherry blossoms looking like mist from afar. The next time you go flower viewing or hanami, make sure to take a step back and admire the misty white and pink scenery!

Nature words in Japanese

Now you know many beautiful words to describe nature in Japanese. Which is your favorite? Do you know any more Japanese nature words? Please share in the comments!

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Related posts

• How to Say Moon in Japanese (+ More Beautiful Moon Vocab)
• How To Say Sun In Japanese (11+ Sunny Japanese Words)
• 12+ Traditional Japanese Words For Flowers (and Their Meanings)

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Thea Ongchua

Thea is a freelance content writer, currently majoring in Japanese studies. She likes to create art and draws inspiration from film and music. Thea was inspired to study Japanese language and culture by reading the literary works of Haruki Murakami and Edogawa Ranpo.

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