Before stepping out each morning, you check the weather. 「今日は晴れです」(It's sunny today.) 「明日は雨です」(It'll rain tomorrow.) — weather is one of the most common topics in everyday Japanese.
This article takes you from sunshine to snow, from wind to thunder, covering 20 essential weather kanji.
Core Kanji Table
Clear & Cloudy
| Kanji | On'yomi | Kun'yomi | Meaning | Common Words | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 天 | テン (ten) | あめ (ame)・あま (ama) | heaven, sky | 天気 (てんき, weather), 天気予報 (てんきよほう, weather forecast) | 天気 = weather |
| 晴 | セイ (sei) | は (ha)・はれ (hare) | clear (sky) | 晴れ (はれ, sunny), 晴天 (せいてん, clear sky), 快晴 (かいせい, cloudless) | 快晴 = perfectly clear |
| 曇 | ドン (don) | くも (kumo) | cloudy | 曇り (くもり, cloudy), 曇天 (どんてん, overcast sky) | 日 (sun) hidden by 雲 (cloud) = 曇 |
Precipitation
| Kanji | On'yomi | Kun'yomi | Meaning | Common Words | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 雨 | ウ (u) | あめ (ame)・あま (ama) | rain | 雨 (あめ, rain), 大雨 (おおあめ, heavy rain), 梅雨 (つゆ, rainy season) | 梅雨 = plum rain season, read つゆ |
| 雪 | セツ (setsu) | ゆき (yuki) | snow | 雪 (ゆき, snow), 大雪 (おおゆき, heavy snow), 雪国 (ゆきぐに, snow country) | 雪国 = Kawabata's famous novel |
| 霧 | ム (mu) | きり (kiri) | fog | 霧 (きり, fog), 濃霧 (のうむ, dense fog) | Rain radical + 務 |
| 露 | ロ (ro)・ロウ (rō) | つゆ (tsuyu) | dew | 露 (つゆ, dew), 露出 (ろしゅつ, exposure) | つゆ also refers to rainy season |
| 霜 | ソウ (sō) | しも (shimo) | frost | 霜 (しも, frost), 霜柱 (しもばしら, frost pillar), 霜降り (しもふり, marbled meat) | 霜降り = marbled beef! |
| 虹 | コウ (kō) | にじ (niji) | rainbow | 虹 (にじ, rainbow), 虹色 (にじいろ, rainbow-colored) | Has 虫 radical — ancients saw rainbows as sky dragons |
Wind & Storm
| Kanji | On'yomi | Kun'yomi | Meaning | Common Words | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 風 | フウ (fū)・フ (fu) | かぜ (kaze) | wind | 風 (かぜ, wind), 台風 (たいふう, typhoon), 風邪 (かぜ, cold/flu) | 風邪 = common cold! Same reading as "wind" |
| 雷 | ライ (rai) | かみなり (kaminari) | thunder | 雷 (かみなり, thunder), 雷雨 (らいう, thunderstorm), 落雷 (らくらい, lightning strike) | かみなり = 神鳴 (voice of the gods) |
| 嵐 | ラン (ran) | あらし (arashi) | storm | 嵐 (あらし, storm) | 山 (mountain) + 風 (wind) = mountain storm |
Temperature & State
| Kanji | On'yomi | Kun'yomi | Meaning | Common Words | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 冷 | レイ (rei) | つめ (tsume)・ひ (hi)・さ (sa) | cold | 冷たい (つめたい, cold to touch), 冷蔵庫 (れいぞうこ, refrigerator) | 冷蔵庫 = refrigerator |
| 暖 | ダン (dan) | あたた (atata) | warm | 暖かい (あたたかい, warm), 温暖 (おんだん, mild/warm) | 暖かい = pleasantly warm |
| 涼 | リョウ (ryō) | すず (suzu) | cool | 涼しい (すずしい, cool), 清涼 (せいりょう, refreshingly cool) | 涼しい = pleasantly cool |
| 蒸 | ジョウ (jō) | む (mu) | steam | 蒸し暑い (むしあつい, humid and hot), 蒸気 (じょうき, steam) | 蒸し暑い = muggy/sultry |
| 凍 | トウ (tō) | こお (koo)・こご (kogo) | freeze | 凍る (こおる, to freeze), 冷凍 (れいとう, frozen) | 冷凍食品 = frozen food |
| 乾 | カン (kan) | かわ (kawa) | dry | 乾く (かわく, to dry), 乾燥 (かんそう, dryness) | 乾燥 = dry/arid |
| 湿 | シツ (shitsu) | しめ (shime) | humid | 湿る (しめる, to become damp), 湿度 (しつど, humidity), 湿気 (しっけ, moisture) | Japanese summers = high humidity |
| 傘 | サン (san) | かさ (kasa) | umbrella | 傘 (かさ, umbrella), 日傘 (ひがさ, parasol), 折り畳み傘 (おりたたみがさ, folding umbrella) | 日傘 = parasol (sun + umbrella) |
The Rain Radical (雨かんむり) — The Key to Weather Kanji
Have you noticed that many weather kanji share the same top component? That's 雨かんむり (the rain crown) — the character 雨 used as a radical sitting on top of other elements.
| Kanji | Structure | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 雪 | 雨 + ヨ (broom shape) | Something swept down from the sky = snow |
| 雷 | 雨 + 田 | Rumbling in the rainy fields = thunder |
| 霧 | 雨 + 務 | Water vapor doing its "duty" = fog |
| 露 | 雨 + 路 | Water on the road = dew |
| 霜 | 雨 + 相 | Moisture "accompanied" by cold = frost |
| 曇 | 日 + 雲 | Sun blocked by clouds = overcast |
| 雲 | 雨 + 云 | Water vapor in the sky = cloud |
The rule: If you see the rain radical on top, the kanji is weather-related.
Japanese Weather Greetings & Seasonal Expressions
In Japan, weather is the go-to topic for small talk. Whether in letters or casual conversation, weather expressions are everywhere.
Everyday Greetings
- いい天気ですね。 (Nice weather, isn't it.) — the most common way to start a conversation
- 蒸し暑いですね。 (It's so muggy.) — essential summer phrase
- 涼しくなりましたね。 (It's gotten cooler, hasn't it.) — marking autumn's arrival
- 寒くなりましたね。 (It's gotten cold, hasn't it.) — winter greeting
Seasonal Letter Openings (時候の挨拶)
Japanese letters and emails traditionally open with seasonal greetings:
| Season | Japanese | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | 春暖の候 (しゅんだんのこう) | In this season of spring warmth |
| Summer | 酷暑の候 (こくしょのこう) | In this season of intense heat |
| Autumn | 秋涼の候 (しゅうりょうのこう) | In this season of autumn coolness |
| Winter | 厳寒の候 (げんかんのこう) | In this season of bitter cold |
Common Weather Forecast Phrases
- 晴れのち曇り (はれのちくもり) = sunny, later cloudy
- 曇り時々雨 (くもりときどきあめ) = cloudy, occasional rain
- 降水確率 (こうすいかくりつ) = chance of precipitation
Practice
Q1. Which weather kanji use the rain radical (雨かんむり)? Name at least four.
Show answer
雪, 雷, 霧, 露, 霜, and 雲 all use the rain radical. When 雨 sits on top of a character as a radical, it signals that the kanji relates to weather or atmospheric phenomena.
Q2. What does 風邪 mean? How is it connected to 風 (wind)?
Show answer
Common cold. 風邪 (かぜ) has the same reading as 風 (かぜ, wind). Ancient people believed that catching a cold was caused by "evil energy in the wind" entering the body — hence 風 (wind) + 邪 (evil).
Q3. What's the difference between 蒸し暑い and 暑い?
Show answer
暑い (あつい) = simply hot. 蒸し暑い (むしあつい) = hot AND humid (muggy — like being steamed). Japanese summers are notoriously 蒸し暑い due to high humidity.
Q4. How do you read 梅雨? Why is it called "plum rain"?
Show answer
Read as つゆ. The rainy season (mid-June to mid-July) coincides with the season when plums ripen, hence "plum rain." Japan, Taiwan, and southern China all experience the 梅雨 season.
Q5. What two parts make up 嵐, and why?
Show answer
山 (mountain) + 風 (wind). 嵐 (あらし) = storm. Mountain winds are especially fierce, so mountain + wind = storm. This is also the origin of the name of the famous Japanese idol group "Arashi."
Summary
- The rain radical (雨かんむり) is the hallmark of weather kanji — spot it and you know the character relates to meteorology
- 風邪 (common cold) shares its reading with 風 (wind) — ancients blamed colds on evil wind
- Key summer vocabulary: 梅雨 (つゆ, rainy season), 蒸し暑い (muggy), 湿度 (しつど, humidity)
- Weather is the Japanese go-to for small talk — 「いい天気ですね」is the universal conversation starter
- Next up: Climate & Disasters — learn kanji for typhoons, earthquakes, and floods