Chinese Weather Vocabulary: How to Talk About the Weather in Mandarin?

Alright, let's be honest. “How’s the weather?” is the universal small talk filler. Just like how British people will praise the sunny days, Chinese people complain that the weather is too hot or damp as well!☁️ But weather is also about navigating daily life, making plans, sharing a moment of commiseration over a sudden downpour, or even understanding the cultural DNA packed into a simple idiom. Basically, if you want to move beyond textbook dialogues and into real, breathing conversations, start with the sky. Let's break down the forecast for your Chinese skills.

Let's talk about the weather in Chinese for sun, rain, and everything in between

What is the absolute core of the Chinese weather vocabulary? You need the basic states of the atmosphere, and you need them down cold. This isn't just about memorizing words; it's about being able to answer the most common question you'll hear or ask: “？” (How's the weather today?)

So, here’s your essential toolkit.

But here’s the trick – you have to move beyond single words immediately. The Chinese language loves short, crisp sentences to state facts. So you practice:

It’s simple, but using it fluently makes you sound infinitely more natural. The upside is that this framework is wildly flexible. Once you have these core bricks, you can start building more interesting descriptions.

Chinese weather vocabulary for 温度 (temperatures)

Now, let’s talk about the number everyone checks on their phone: temperature. In Chinese, it’s or simply .

For example:
。
Tomorrow is 14 degrees.

If you want to talk about how your body is feeling the temperature, instead of an accurate number, you can use these adjectives:

The real key here is learning to pair the temperature with the actual weather. This is how locals talk.

Mandarin words for the dynamic sky of wind, clouds, and storms

Weather is never static, and your Chinese vocabulary shouldn’t be either. This section is about movement and intensity — the verbs and descriptors that bring the weather conditions to life. This is where you graduate from basic descriptions to storytelling.

Let’s start with the wind:

Now, look up. Those aren’t just generic clouds.

The magic happens when you sequence these words to describe a change. This is a hugely common conversational pattern.

Learning these dynamic verbs and transition words allows you to narrate the day’s weather like a local, sharing a common observation that’s deeply relatable.

Practice talking about weather events in Chinese phrases via forecasts and small talks

Vocabulary lists are pointless if they stay on the page. The final step is to plug these words directly into the sockets of daily life. This is how you move from knowing to using.

Watch everyday weather reports in the Chinese language, and observe the talks and subtitles!

Start by watching 5 minutes of weather reports every day, or follow up on the news of extreme weather.

The good news is, Migaku app can help generate Chinese subtitles even when the video does not feature any. For example, Migaku app can generate subtitles for this cut related to typhoons with the English translation. ( is a common extreme weather that often hits the southern parts of China during summer and autumn.) You can also click the words or sentences to add them to your flashcard collections and review them later.

FAQs

Learn the cultural charm of the weather in Chinese idioms through media!

Here is something you can't get from the weather news: the idioms and cultural bits. Weather is deeply woven into the language. Someone might say they’re busy by claiming “。” (Busy like wind and fire). A sudden event happens and stirs up the dynamics of the social movements - 。 (Wind rises, clouds surge). When you start to recognize these patterns in literary works, you’re not just talking about meteorology — you’re tapping into a way of seeing the world.

Now you understand what (Brainstorm) means!