Vocabulary List
天気 (tenki)
Sun, rain, snow, and the four seasons — small talk staples in any Japanese conversation.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 天気 | tenki | weather |
| 晴れ | hare | sunny |
| 雨 | ame | rain |
| 曇り | kumori | cloudy |
| 雪 | yuki | snow |
| 風 | kaze | wind |
| 台風 | taifū | typhoon |
| 暑い | atsui | hot |
| 寒い | samui | cold |
| 暖かい | atatakai | warm |
| 涼しい | suzushii | cool |
| 春 | haru | spring |
| 夏 | natsu | summer |
| 秋 | aki | autumn |
| 冬 | fuyu | winter |
| 気温 | kion | temperature |
Talking about the weather isn't just small talk in Japan — it's woven into the language itself. Formal letters traditionally open with a 時候の挨拶 (jikō no aisatsu), a seasonal greeting referencing the current weather or season before getting to the main point. The four seasons (春夏秋冬, shun-ka-shū-tō) are deeply tied to Japanese aesthetics, from cherry blossoms (桜, sakura) in spring to the changing maple leaves (紅葉, kōyō) in autumn — both major cultural events marked by forecasts on the evening news.
桜 (sakura) and other nature symbols have their own reference pages with cultural notes.