Weather in Japanese daily life
Weather is one of the most common conversation topics in Japanese daily life — and the language has developed precise vocabulary for it, reflecting a culture deeply attentive to seasonal change. Japan's four distinct seasons (四季, shiki) are not just meteorological facts but cultural anchors: poetry, food, clothing, and festivals all change with the seasons.
Core weather kanji
天気 (tenki — weather): The most used weather word. 天 (heaven/sky) + 気 (air/spirit). 晴れ (hare — clear/sunny), 曇り (kumori — cloudy), 雨 (ame/u — rain), 雪 (yuki/setsu — snow), 風 (kaze/fuu — wind), 台風 (taifuu — typhoon), 雷 (kaminari/rai — thunder/lightning), 霧 (kiri — fog/mist). The kanji for rain (雨) is used as a radical in many weather-related characters: 雪 (snow), 雷 (thunder), 電 (electricity — originally lightning), 雲 (cloud).
梅雨 (tsuyu — literally "plum rain") is Japan's rainy season, typically lasting from early June to mid-July. The name comes from the fact that plums (梅) ripen during this wet period. Tsuyu is considered a distinct fifth season by many Japanese, sitting between spring and summer.
Seasonal weather expressions
Japanese has poetic vocabulary for seasonal weather that does not translate directly: 小春日和 (koharu-biyori — a warm, spring-like day in late autumn), 木枯らし (kogarashi — the first cold, dry wind of winter), 五月晴れ (satsuki-bare — clear skies in May, often used for any unexpectedly clear day), 夕立 (yuudachi — a sudden late-afternoon summer shower). These expressions appear in poetry, everyday speech, and weather forecasts.
Explore weather kanji
See the individual pages for wind, rain, snow, lightning, and more.