Japanese Weather Vocabulary: Useful Words of Tenki for Learners

So you want to learn Japanese and you're looking into weather vocabulary? Good call. Weather conversations are everywhere in Japan. Seriously, Japanese people talk about the weather constantly. Whether you're making small talk with coworkers, chatting with your host family, or just trying to understand the daily weather forecast on TV, you'll need these words. Do you feel prepared to start talking about Japanese weather? If not, don't worry. By the end of this guide, you'll have all the essential weather words and phrases you need to hold real conversations about the weather in Japanese.

Why weather vocabulary matters for Japanese learners

Weather vocabulary might seem basic, but it's genuinely useful for anyone trying to learn Japanese. These words appear constantly in daily life, news, conversations, and media.

Weather small talk opens doors socially. In Japan, jumping straight into deep topics can feel abrupt. Commenting on the weather establishes rapport and shows cultural awareness. When you can participate in these everyday exchanges naturally, your Japanese feels more fluent.

Plus, weather terms connect to broader cultural concepts. Understanding tsuyu means understanding a significant part of Japanese life and culture. Knowing about typhoons helps you grasp why certain infrastructure exists and why people react certain ways during typhoon season.

Basic weather conditions you'll use every day

Let's start with the fundamentals. The word for weather in Japanese is . You'll see this everywhere, especially in weather forecasts and casual conversations.

When someone asks ？ which means "How's the weather tomorrow?", you'll want to know how to respond. Here are the core weather conditions:

Talk about the weather like a native speaker

Japanese people use weather as a conversation starter all the time. Way more than in English-speaking countries, honestly. The weather serves as a safe, neutral topic that breaks the ice in professional and social situations.

The most common question you'll hear is ？, meaning "Nice weather today, right?" The ne (ね) at the end is seeking agreement, like you're inviting the other person to share the observation with you.

Another super useful phrase: when it's hot, or when it's cold. That desu ne pattern works for basically any weather observation.

But what if you find yourself working at a Japanese company or suddenly in the middle of a group discussion about the next summer heat wave? You'll want more specific vocabulary to contribute meaningfully to these conversations.

When talking about upcoming weather, you might say , which means "I heard it's going to rain tomorrow." The そうです pattern indicates you're reporting information you heard from somewhere else, perfect for discussing weather forecasts.

Temperature and seasons: Getting specific about how it feels

Temperature descriptions in Japanese combine objective measurements with subjective feelings. Let's break down both.

For actual temperatures, you'll hear which means temperature. The weather forecast will give you numbers like for 25 degrees Celsius. Yeah, Japan uses Celsius, so get used to that conversion if you're from the US.

But honestly, people talk more about how the weather feels than specific numbers. Here are the sensation adjectives you need:

Here's where Japanese gets interesting: specifically means hot and humid. This word gets heavy use during Japanese summers because the humidity is no joke. You can't just say atsui because that doesn't capture the sticky, oppressive feeling of high humidity combined with heat.

Japan experiences the four seasons very distinctly, and each has its own character. is spring, is summer, is autumn, and is winter. These kanji show up everywhere in weather discussions and seasonal greetings.

Japanese weather phenomena: Rainy season and typhoons

Japan has some weather patterns that deserve special attention because they're such a big part of life there.

The or rainy season happens every year from roughly early June through mid-July. The kanji literally mean "plum rain" because it coincides with plum ripening season. During tsuyu, it rains almost constantly for weeks. Not always heavy rain, but persistent drizzle and overcast skies. This is a huge topic of conversation, and you'll definitely hear people complaining about the humidity and mold issues that come with tsuyu.

When discussing the rainy season, you might hear , meaning "The rainy season is coming soon." Or during it, ？ asking "When will the rainy season end?"

Then you've got , which means typhoon. These tropical cyclones hit Japan regularly, especially from August through October. Typhoon season is serious business. People track typhoon forecasts closely, and strong typhoons can shut down transportation and businesses.

Weather reports will give typhoons numbers and track their paths. You'll hear phrases like meaning "A typhoon is coming." The verb means "to come" and gets used for approaching weather systems.

Weather forecast vocabulary: Understanding Japanese weather reports

If you're living in Japan or planning a trip, understanding the weather forecast becomes pretty important. Japanese weather forecasts use specific terminology that's good to know.

The word means weather forecast. You'll see this on TV, apps, and websites.

Weather warnings use specific terms: means caution or advisory, while is a warning for more serious conditions. During typhoon season or heavy snow, these warnings matter.

For precipitation probability, forecasts use , but you'll usually just see percentages like meaning "60% chance of rain."

Wind gets described with . means strong wind, while is weak or light wind.

Humidity is . During summer, weather reports always mention this because it affects how miserable you'll be outside.

Advanced weather words and seasonal expressions

Once you've got the basics down, these additional weather words will make your Japanese weather vocabulary more complete.

For wind types, combines with other words: is north wind, is south wind. These directional winds have different characteristics and seasonal associations in Japan.

Seasonal winds have special names too. refers to the cold winter wind that blows through bare trees. is the first strong south wind of spring, signaling winter's end.

Real conversation examples

Let's see how this weather vocabulary actually works in context. Here are some realistic exchanges:

Person A: ？
How's tomorrow's weather?
Person B: 。
I heard it'll rain. Please bring an umbrella.

Another example:

Person A: 。
It's hot and humid today, isn't it?
Person B: 。
Yeah, it is. Can't be helped since it's rainy season.

Making weather vocabulary stick

Learning these words is one thing. Actually remembering and using them is another. Here are some practical approaches that work:

Anyway, if you want to actually use these terms while consuming real Japanese content, Migaku's browser extension and app let you look up weather vocabulary instantly while watching Japanese shows or reading articles. Makes learning from authentic sources way more practical. There's a 10-day free trial if you want to check it out.

One last thing on describing the weather in Japanese

Weather vocabulary also appears in tons of authentic content. Watching Japanese TV? Weather reports happen multiple times per day. Reading news? Weather affects everything from agriculture to transportation to retail sales. Following Japanese social media? People post about the weather constantly, especially during extreme conditions. Therefore, it is rather easy to consume more media about the weather and learn more descriptions about the weather.

Soak up the sunshine, and let your soul bloom!