Talking About Weather in Japanese: Essential Vocabulary and Expressions

Weather is a common topic of conversation in any language, and Japanese is no exception. Whether you’re making small talk, planning an outing, or watching the news, knowing how to discuss the weather in Japanese is essential. In this post, we’ll go over useful vocabulary, expressions, and how weather forecasts work in Japan.

Basic Weather Vocabulary

Here are some key words to describe the weather:

Common Expressions for Talking About the Weather

When discussing the weather in Japanese, these phrases will come in handy:

• 「今日きょうはいい天気てんきですね。」
  It’s nice weather today, isn’t it?
• 「暑あつすぎる！夏なつは苦手にがてです。」
  It’s too hot! I’m not a fan of summer.
• 「冬ふゆは寒さむいけど、雪ゆきが好すきです。」
  Winter is cold, but I like snow.
• 「雨あめが降ふりそうですね。」
  It looks like it’s going to rain.
• 「天気予報てんきよほうを見みましたか？」
  Did you see the weather forecast?

Understanding a Japanese Weather Forecast

If you’re living in or traveling to Japan, understanding weather forecasts (天気予報) is useful. Here are some common terms you’ll encounter:

When watching the weather forecast in Japan, you’ll often hear percentages for 降水確率こうすいかくりつ (chance of rain).

For example:

• 「明日あすの降水確率こうすいかくりつは50%です。」Tomorrow’s chance of rain is 50%.

The temperatures are usually given in Celsius, so be prepared to convert if you’re used to Fahrenheit.

For example:

•  「今日きょうは25度どです。」 Today is 25 degrees.

Seasonal Weather in Japan

Japan has distinct seasons, each with unique weather patterns:

春はる – Spring

• Mild temperatures
• Cherry blossoms (桜さくら) bloom in March–April

夏なつ – Summer

• Hot and humid (蒸むし暑あつい)
• Rainy season (梅雨つゆ) from June to mid-July
• Typhoon season from August to September

秋あき – Autumn

• Comfortable temperatures
• Beautiful autumn leaves (紅葉こうよう)

冬ふゆ – Winter

• Cold, especially in northern areas
• Heavy snowfall in regions like Hokkaido and Niigata

Practice Talking About the Weather

Try making your own sentences using the vocabulary and expressions above! Here are some questions to practice with:

1. 「今日きょうの天気てんきはどうですか？」 – How is the weather today?
2. 「あなたの国くにの夏なつはどんな天気てんきですか？」 – What is summer like in your country?
3. 「天気予報てんきよほうによると、明日あしたは晴はれですか？」 – According to the weather forecast, will it be sunny tomorrow?

Final Thoughts

Being able to talk about the weather in Japanese is a great way to engage in everyday conversations. Whether you’re chatting with friends, checking the forecast, or just making small talk, these words and phrases will help you sound more natural. Start using them in your daily practice and enjoy your conversations about the weather!

What’s the weather like where you are today? Try describing it in Japanese in the comments!

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