Japanese Weather Vocabulary You’ll Actually Hear in Japan

Talking about the weather is a common part of everyday conversation in Japanese.

You probably already know basic words like 暑い (hot), 寒い (cold), and 雨 (rain). But in real conversations, you’ll also hear more specific expressions for humid days, light rain, sudden showers, chilly mornings, and changing weather.

Here are 10 useful weather words and expressions that will help you understand and use more natural Japanese.

Level: Intermediate–Advanced

 

Japanese Weather Vocabulary

蒸し暑い（むしあつい）

Meaning: hot and humid / muggy

蒸し暑い describes weather that feels both hot and humid. It’s especially useful during Japan’s rainy season and summer, when the humidity can make the heat feel uncomfortable.

Examples:

・今日は朝から蒸し暑いね。
It’s been hot and humid since this morning.

・夜になってもまだ蒸し暑い。
It’s still hot and humid even at night.

 

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じめじめする

Meaning: to feel damp and humid

じめじめする describes an unpleasant damp or humid feeling. It can be used for the weather, a room, or other places that feel damp because of moisture.

Examples:

・雨が続いて、部屋の中もじめじめしている。
It’s been raining for days, and even the room feels damp.

・梅雨は毎日じめじめしていて、洗濯物が乾きにくい。
During the rainy season, it’s humid every day, so laundry doesn’t dry easily.

 

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雨がぱらつく（あめがぱらつく）

Meaning: to drizzle / to rain lightly

雨がぱらつく is used when a small amount of rain starts falling here and there. It’s lighter than regular rain and often describes the beginning of a shower.

Examples:

・さっき少し雨がぱらついていたよ。
It was drizzling a little while ago.

・雨がぱらついてきたから、そろそろ帰ろうか。
It’s starting to drizzle, so maybe we should head home.

 

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土砂降り（どしゃぶり）

Meaning: pouring rain / heavy rain

土砂降り means very heavy rain. You can use it when the rain is coming down so hard that going outside can be difficult even with an umbrella.

Examples:

・帰るころには土砂降りになっていた。
By the time I was heading home, it was pouring.

・急に土砂降りになって、駅まで走った。
It suddenly started pouring, so I ran to the station.

 

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雨が上がる（あめがあがる）

Meaning: the rain stops / clears up

雨が上がる is a natural expression used when rain stops. You’ll often hear 雨が上がった in everyday conversation after a period of rain.

Examples:

・雨が上がったら、買い物に行こう。
Let’s go shopping when the rain stops.

・やっと雨が上がったね。
The rain finally stopped.

 

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天気が崩れる（てんきがくずれる）

Meaning: the weather gets worse / the weather turns bad

天気が崩れる means that good or stable weather changes for the worse, usually with rain, clouds, or other unsettled conditions. You may also hear this expression in weather forecasts.

Examples:

・午後から天気が崩れるみたい。
It looks like the weather is going to get worse this afternoon.

・週末は天気が崩れるらしいから、予定を変えようかな。
Apparently the weather is going to turn bad this weekend, so I might change my plans.

 

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どんよりする

Meaning: to be gloomy / overcast

When the sky is dark and cloudy with little or no sunshine, you can describe it as どんよりしている. It gives the feeling of a heavy, gloomy sky.

Examples:

・今日は朝から空がどんよりしている。
The sky has been gloomy and overcast since this morning.

・外を見たら、どんよりした空が広がっていた。
When I looked outside, the sky was dark and overcast.

 

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肌寒い（はだざむい）

Meaning: slightly chilly

肌寒い is used when the weather feels a little cold, especially when the temperature has dropped or it feels cooler than you expected. It’s softer than simply saying 寒い.

Examples:

・朝は少し肌寒かった。
It was a little chilly in the morning.

・今日は肌寒いから、薄い上着を持って行こう。
It’s a little chilly today, so I’ll take a light jacket.

 

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冷え込む（ひえこむ）

Meaning: to get quite cold / temperatures drop

冷え込む is used when the temperature drops noticeably and it becomes quite cold. It’s especially common when talking about cold mornings and nights or an expected drop in temperature.

Examples:

・今夜はかなり冷え込むみたいだよ。
It looks like it’s going to get pretty cold tonight.

・昨日の夜は冷え込んで、なかなか寝つけなかった。
It got really cold last night, and I had trouble falling asleep.

 

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にわか雨（にわかあめ）

Meaning: sudden shower

にわか雨 is rain that starts suddenly and usually doesn’t last very long. It’s useful when the weather changes quickly even though it wasn’t raining before.

Examples:

・午後はにわか雨があるかもしれない。
There might be a sudden shower this afternoon.

・出かけている途中で、にわか雨に降られた。
I got caught in a sudden shower while I was out.

 

Try It in a Real Conversation

Here’s how some of these expressions might come up naturally in an everyday conversation.

Quick Review

Here are the 10 weather words and expressions from this article:

• 蒸し暑い（むしあつい） — hot and humid / muggy
• じめじめする — to feel damp and humid
• 雨がぱらつく（あめがぱらつく） — to drizzle / to rain lightly
• 土砂降り（どしゃぶり） — pouring rain / heavy rain
• 雨が上がる（あめがあがる） — the rain stops / clears up
• 天気が崩れる（てんきがくずれる） — the weather gets worse
• どんよりする — to be gloomy / overcast
• 肌寒い（はだざむい） — slightly chilly
• 冷え込む（ひえこむ） — to get quite cold / temperatures drop
• にわか雨（にわかあめ） — sudden shower

You don’t need to memorize all of them at once. Start by noticing these expressions when you hear or read Japanese, and try using one or two of them the next time you talk about the weather.