Weather and Seasons in Japanese: Easy Small Talk

Weather and seasons: いい天気ですね

梅雨 tsuyu, the rainy season, runs roughly from June to mid-July across most of Japan; Hokkaido largely escapes it.

Short answer: weather is the classic Japanese conversation opener: いい天気ですね, “nice weather, isn’t it?”. Weather words are mostly nouns (晴れ sunny, 雨 rain, 雪 snow), and temperature words are い-adjectives with an important split: 暑い and 寒い for the air, 熱い and 冷たい for things you touch. Japan has four clear seasons, plus a rainy season, 梅雨, in early summer.

Weather words

Use です after a weather noun: 雨です, “it’s raining”. For falling rain or snow, use 降る: 雨が降っています.

Hot, cold, warm and cool

Japanese separates air temperature from the temperature of things. Both 暑い and 熱い are read あつい; the kanji show the difference.

Word	Meaning	Used for
atsui	hot	weather, a room
samui	cold	weather, a room
atatakai	warm	weather (spring)
suzushii	cool	weather (autumn), a breeze
atsui	hot	tea, a bath, a stove
tsumetai	cold	water, ice, hands

Forecast language

Forecasts end in でしょう, “probably will be”. Rain chance is 降水確率, given as a percentage.

明日あしたashitatomorrowはwa(topic)晴れはれharesunnyでしょうdeshōprobably

Ashita wa hare deshō.“Tomorrow will probably be sunny.”Why: でしょう: the forecaster’s “probably”.

午後ごごgogoafternoonからkarafrom雨あめamerainがga(subject)降るでしょうふるでしょうfuru deshōwill probably fall

Gogo kara ame ga furu deshō.“Rain is expected from the afternoon.”Why: Plain verb + でしょう.

最高気温さいこうきおんsaikō kionhigh temperatureはwa(topic)三十度さんじゅうどsanjū-do30 degreesですdesuis

Saikō kion wa sanjū-do desu.“The high will be 30 degrees.”Why: Japan uses Celsius; 度 is “degree”.

Weather warnings and disasters

Japan issues clear warnings for typhoons, heavy rain, heat and earthquakes. These words appear on phones and TV.

Season words

Each season has its own vocabulary, much of it shared with poetry.

Word	Meaning	Season
sakura	cherry blossom	spring
tsuyu	rainy season	early summer
semi	cicada	summer
hanabi	fireworks	summer
kōyō	autumn leaves	autumn
tsukimi	moon viewing	autumn
yuki	snow	winter
kotatsu	heated table	winter

How the weather feels

Japanese often describes humid summers and dry winters with these words.

Check yourself

Say each one in Japanese, then open the answer to check and hear it.

It’s hot today, isn’t it?
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Kyō wa atsui desu ne.
It’s raining.
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Ame ga futte imasu.
It will probably snow tomorrow.
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Ashita wa yuki deshō.
The tea is hot.
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Ocha ga atsui desu.熱い for things, 暑い for weather.
the rainy season
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tsuyu
It’s getting cooler.
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Suzushiku natte kimashita.

Weather small talk

ですね invites agreement; the expected answer is そうですね.

今日きょうkyōtodayはwa(topic)暑いあついatsuihotですねdesu neisn’t it

Kyō wa atsui desu ne. · “It’s hot today, isn’t it?”The standard opener.

そうですねsō desu neit is, isn’t it

Sō desu ne. · “It really is.”Agree first.

もうすぐmō sugusoon梅雨つゆtsuyurainy seasonですdesuisねneisn’t it

Mō sugu tsuyu desu ne. · “The rainy season’s coming soon.”Seasons are a favourite topic.

雨あめamerainはwa(contrast)ちょっとchottoa bit嫌ですいやですiya desuunpleasant

Ame wa chotto iya desu. · “I don’t much like the rain.”嫌 is a な-adjective: unpleasant, unwanted.