JLPT N5 · Vocabulary by topic
JLPT N5 Japanese Weather Vocabulary
Sunny, rainy, snowy, hot, cold — the everyday weather words at JLPT N5.
Why this list
Weather is the safest small-talk topic in Japan, just like in English. 今日は暑いですね (kyō wa atsui desu ne) — 'It's hot today, isn't it?' — is the conversational warm-up natives use with strangers in elevators, on trains, and at the konbini.
Pair this vocabulary with the four seasonal markers (春 spring, 夏 summer, 秋 autumn, 冬 winter) and you can hold weather small-talk for a full minute by the end of N5.
The 20 words
| Kanji | Kana | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 天気 | てんき | tenki | weather |
| 晴れ | はれ | hare | sunny |
| 曇り | くもり | kumori | cloudy |
| 雨 | あめ | ame | rain |
| 雪 | ゆき | yuki | snow |
| 風 | かぜ | kaze | wind |
| 台風 | たいふう | taifū | typhoon |
| 暑い | あつい | atsui | hot (weather) |
| 寒い | さむい | samui | cold (weather) |
| 暖かい | あたたかい | atatakai | warm |
| 涼しい | すずしい | suzushii | cool |
| 気温 | きおん | kion | temperature |
| 春 | はる | haru | spring |
| 夏 | なつ | natsu | summer |
| 秋 | あき | aki | autumn |
| 冬 | ふゆ | fuyu | winter |
| 季節 | きせつ | kisetsu | season |
| 空 | そら | sora | sky |
| 雲 | くも | kumo | cloud |
| 太陽 | たいよう | taiyō | sun |
Common questions
Why are 雨 (rain) and 飴 (candy) the same reading?+
They're both pronounced あめ (ame) but distinguished by pitch accent: 雨 is atamadaka (high-low), 飴 is heiban (flat). Native speakers hear the difference immediately. This is why pitch accent matters even for beginners — eventually.
How do I say 'it's raining' in Japanese?+
雨が降っています (ame ga futte imasu) — 'rain is falling.' The verb 降る (furu, to fall) is the canonical weather verb. 雪が降っています for snow. For finished events: 雨が降りました.
Are seasonal greetings really common in Japan?+
Yes. Spoken weather small-talk is universal, and written seasonal greetings (寒中見舞い in winter, 残暑見舞い in late summer) are standard correspondence. N5 weather vocab is the foundation for both.
Related
The 20words above are part of Inku's 515-card N5 deck, all with bundled pronunciation audio and FSRS spaced review. Try Inku free for 7 days.