Conversing about the weather is essential when it comes to making small-talk in Japan!
Whether it be by the water cooler in the workplace, or a one-liner at the beginning of an email, some form of acknowledgment of the current weather is a great way to break the ice and get a conversation flowing.
Below we have compiled a list of common weather vocabulary in Japanese, broken up into easy-to-digest categories!
We already have posts all about different ways to talk about rain and sun in Japanese, so do give those a read for more in depth information.
Weather in Japanese
Here is a list of common words you would be likely to hear if tuning into the weather forecast in Japan.
| English | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji |
| Weather | 天気 | てんき | tenki |
| Climate | 気候 | きこう | kikou |
| Temperature (air) | 気温 | きおん | kion |
| Weather forecast | 天気予報 | てんきよほう | tenki yohou |
| Level of humidity | 湿度 | しつど | shitsudo |
| Highest temperature | 最高気温 | さいこうきおん | saikou kion |
| Lowest temperature | 最低気温 | さいていきおん | saitei kion |
Common weather vocabulary
| English | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji |
| Sun | 太陽 | たいよう | taiyou |
| Cloud | 雲 | くも | kumo |
| Rain | 雨 | あめ | ame |
| Wind | 風 | かぜ | kaze |
| Snow | 雪 | ゆき | yuki |
| Hail (large) | 雹 | ひょう | hyou |
| Hail (small) | 霰 | あられ | arare |
| Sleet | 霙 | みぞれ | mizore |
| Thunder/lightning | 雷 | かみなり | kaminari |
| Rainbow | 虹 | にじ | niji |
| Ice | 氷 | こおり | koori |
| Fog | 霧 | きり | kiri |
Weather events
| English | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji |
| Storm | 嵐 | あらし | arashi |
| Thunderstorm | 雷雨 | らいう | raiu |
| Typhoon / hurricane | 台風 | たいふう | taifuu |
| Blizzard | 吹雪 | ふぶき | fubuki |
| Heatwave | 猛暑 | もうしょ | mousho |
| Flood | 大水 / 洪水 | おおみず / こうずい | oomizu / kouzui |
| Tornado | 竜巻 | たつまき | tatsumaki |
| Light rain | 小雨 | こさめ | kosame |
| Heavy rain | 大雨 | おおあめ | ooame |
Weather descriptors
This is probably the most practical of each of the lists in terms of daily conversation! These terms are mostly adjectives, which you can use to paint a picture of the weather conditions.
For example:
Tenki yohou ni yoru to, ashita wa hare da sou desu
天気予報によると、明日は晴れだそうです
てんきよほうによると、あしたははれだそうです
According to the weather forecast, tomorrow will be sunny
| English | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji |
| Sunny / clear skies | 晴れ | はれ | hare |
| Sun is shining | 太陽が輝く | たいようがかがやく | taiyou ga kagayaku |
| Cloudy | 曇り | くもり | kumori |
| Rainy | 雨降り | あめふり | amefuri |
| It is raining | 雨が降る | あめがふる | ame ga furu |
| Windy (wind is strong) | 風が強い | かぜがつよい | kaze ga tsuyoi |
| Wind is blowing | 風が吹く | かぜがふく | kaze ga fuku |
| Snowy | 雪降り | ゆきふり | yukifuri |
| Snow is falling | 雪が降る | ゆきがふる | yuki ga furu |
| Humid | 蒸し暑い | むしあつい | mushi atsui |
| Muggy | ジメジメ (する) | じめじめ (する) | jime jime (suru) |
| Dry | 乾燥 (する) | かんそう (する) | kansou (suru) |
| Hot | 暑い | あつい | atsui |
| Warm | 暖かい | あたたかい | atatakai |
| Cold | 寒い | さむい | samui |
| Cool | 涼しい | すずしい | suzushii |
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Hannah is a half Irish/half Japanese girl living in Ireland. Her love for Japan and the Japanese language led her to studying languages and translation in university where she specialised in Japanese. She spent a year studying abroad at Rikkyo University in Tokyo. In her free time, Hannah enjoys using her sewing machine to upcycle clothes and create new pieces!