Forecast words, the rainy season, heat, cold and the sky between them.
A Japanese weather forecast is built from compact kanji words that are seldom said aloud but appear on every screen: 快晴, 低気圧, 積雪. Some are defined with an exact threshold, so 真夏日 is not just "a very hot day" but a day whose high reached thirty degrees Celsius. The year also has fixed markers that people talk about every time they come round, above all the start and the end of the rainy season, 梅雨入り and 梅雨明け.
The words
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Verb (1)
荒れるto be rough; to turn stormyVerbN3
海が荒れているので、今日は船が出ません。The sea is rough, so no boats are going out today.
Also chapped skin, or a meeting that turns heated.
Noun (38)
快晴clear sky; perfectly fine weatherNounN3
運動会の日は、雲ひとつない快晴だった。On sports day there was not a cloud in the sky.
梅雨入りstart of the rainy seasonNounN3
今年は例年より早く梅雨入りした。This year the rainy season started earlier than usual.
Also a verb: 梅雨入りする.
梅雨明けend of the rainy seasonNounN3
梅雨明けしたとたん、毎日暑くなった。The moment the rainy season ended, every day turned hot.
Also a verb: 梅雨明けする.
真夏日day with a high of thirty degrees or moreNounN3
まだ六月なのに、もう真夏日になった。It is only June, and we have already had a day above thirty degrees.
A forecasting term; a day of thirty-five degrees or more is 猛暑日.
真夏midsummer; the height of summerNounN3
真夏の昼間は、外を歩いている人がほとんどいない。In the middle of the day in high summer, hardly anyone is out walking.
真冬midwinter; the depths of winterNounN3
真冬でも、この辺りはほとんど雪が降らない。Even in midwinter, it hardly ever snows around here.
真〜 means "right in the middle of": 真夜中, the middle of the night.
暖冬mild winterNounN3
暖冬で雪が少なく、スキー場が困っている。With the mild winter there is little snow, and the ski resorts are struggling.
初雪first snow of the seasonNounN3
朝起きたら、初雪で庭が白くなっていた。When I got up, the first snow of the season had turned the garden white.
初〜 marks the first of something: 初日の出, the first sunrise of the year.
霜frostNounN3
寒い朝は、車の窓に霜がついている。On cold mornings there is frost on the car windows.
にわか雨sudden showerNounN3
午後は、にわか雨に注意してください。Watch out for sudden showers in the afternoon.
A short shower without warning; a summer evening downpour is 夕立.
雨上がりjust after the rainNounN3
雨上がりの朝は、空気がきれいで気持ちがいい。Mornings just after rain are pleasant, with clean, fresh air.
虹rainbowNounN4
雨がやんだ後、東の空に虹が出た。After the rain stopped, a rainbow appeared in the eastern sky.
A rainbow "comes out" in Japanese: 虹が出る.
強風strong wind; galeNounN3
強風のため、橋は通行止めになっています。The bridge is closed because of strong winds.
北風north windNounN3
冬になると、冷たい北風が吹く日が多くなる。In winter there are more and more days when a cold north wind blows.
湿気humidity; dampNounN3
梅雨の時期は湿気が多くて、洗濯物がなかなか乾かない。In the rainy season it is so damp that the washing takes ages to dry.
The everyday word; the measured value on a forecast is 湿度.
乾燥drynessNounN3
冬は空気が乾燥して、喉が痛くなりやすい。The air is dry in winter, so you easily get a sore throat.
Also a verb: 乾燥する. A tumble dryer is a 乾燥機.
低気圧low pressure (system); depressionNounN3
低気圧が近づいているので、明日は天気が崩れそうだ。A low-pressure system is approaching, so the weather will probably turn tomorrow.
高気圧high pressure (system)NounN3
高気圧に覆われて、全国的に晴れるでしょう。Under high pressure, it will be fine across most of the country.
天候weather (over a period)NounN3
天候が悪いため、本日の花火大会は中止です。Because of the bad weather, today's fireworks display is cancelled.
More formal than 天気, and often about weather over several days.
雨天rainy weatherNounN3
雨天の場合、遠足は来週に延期します。In case of rain, the school outing will be postponed to next week.
Mostly on notices: 雨天中止, cancelled if it rains.
晴れ間sunny spell; break in the cloudsNounN3
雨が続いていたが、今日は久しぶりに晴れ間が見えた。It had been raining for days, but today the sun came through for the first time in a while.
日陰shadeNounN3
暑いから、あの木の日陰で少し休もう。It is hot, so let us rest for a bit in the shade of that tree.
日向sunny spot; in the sunNounN3
冬の午後、猫が日向で丸くなっている。On a winter afternoon, the cat is curled up in a sunny spot.
Also written in kana. The opposite is 日陰.
紫外線ultraviolet raysNounN3
夏は紫外線が強いので、帽子をかぶったほうがいい。The ultraviolet light is strong in summer, so you had better wear a hat.
花粉pollenNounN3
今日は風が強く、花粉がたくさん飛ぶでしょう。It will be windy today, with a lot of pollen in the air.
Spring forecasts include a pollen report; pollen "flies": 花粉が飛ぶ.
積雪snow cover; depth of snowNounN3
山の上では、積雪が一メートルを超えた。Up in the mountains, the snow is now more than a metre deep.
氷点下below freezingNounN3
夜は氷点下まで下がるので、水道が凍らないように気をつけて。It will drop below freezing tonight, so take care the pipes do not freeze.
夕焼けred evening sky; sunset glowNounN3
夕焼けがきれいな日の次の日は、晴れると言われている。It is said that a beautiful sunset means fine weather the next day.
上陸landfall; landingNounN3
台風は、今夜九州に上陸しそうです。The typhoon looks likely to make landfall in Kyushu tonight.
Also a verb: 上陸する; also people landing from a ship.
接近approach; coming closeNounN3
台風の接近に備えて、庭の植木鉢を家の中に入れた。With the typhoon approaching, I brought the flowerpots in from the garden.
Also a verb: 接近する.
四季the four seasonsNounN3
この公園では、四季それぞれの花を楽しむことができる。In this park you can enjoy the flowers of each of the four seasons.
雷雨thunderstormNounN3
夕方から雷雨になるおそれがあります。There may be thunderstorms from the evening.
雨雲rain cloudNounN3
西の空に、黒い雨雲が広がってきた。Dark rain clouds have spread across the western sky.
Note the reading: 雨 becomes あま at the start of some compounds, as in 雨戸.
青空blue skyNounN4
雪の山と青空のコントラストが美しかった。The contrast between the snowy mountains and the blue sky was beautiful.
熱帯夜sweltering night (staying above twenty-five degrees)NounN3
熱帯夜が続いて、なかなか眠れない。One sweltering night follows another, and I can hardly sleep.
A forecasting term for a night when the temperature does not fall below twenty-five degrees.
水たまりpuddleNounN3
車が水たまりを通って、ズボンに泥がかかった。A car drove through a puddle and splashed mud on my trousers.
雪解けthaw; melting of the snowNounN3
雪解けの季節になると、川の水が増える。When the snow starts to melt, the rivers rise.
Also figurative: a thaw in relations between two sides.
曇り空cloudy sky; overcastNounN3
今日は一日中曇り空で、少し寒かった。It was overcast all day today and a little cold.
i-adjective (1)
肌寒いchillyi-adjectiveN3
秋になって、朝晩は肌寒く感じるようになった。Now that it is autumn, mornings and evenings have started to feel chilly.
Literally "cold on the skin": cool enough to want another layer, not truly cold.
