寒い天気
samui tenki
The English phrase "cold weather" is translated into Japanese as 寒い天気 (samui tenki).
寒い天気 is used to describe weather that has a low temperature. You may also encounter related phrases such as 寒いですね to say "It's cold, isn't it?" or 寒さが厳しいですね to mean "The cold is severe, isn't it?" If you need to talk about dressing for the temperature, you can use 暖かく着込む, which means "to dress warmly".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of 寒い, which means "cold" when describing the weather or ambient temperature and 天気.
Which one should you use?
While 寒い is used for the weather, you should not use 冷たい to describe the weather. 冷たい is reserved for things that are cold to the touch, such as ice or a cold drink.
How do you pronounce it?
samui tenki
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using 冷たい to describe the weather. Instead, use 寒い to describe ambient temperature or the weather itself.
When do people say it?
If someone mentions how cold it is, you can informally agree by saying 寒いね, which means "Yeah, it's cold!"
Did you know?
- If a joke is not funny and the room goes quiet, a Japanese person might say it was 寒い, meaning the joke was 'cold' or 'unfunny'.
- In Japan, the traditional way to survive 寒い天気 involved using kotatsu, a low table with a built-in heater and a heavy blanket draped over it.
- In Japan, when describing a person's personality as 'cold' or 'unfriendly', you would use 冷たい rather than 寒い, as the latter refers only to temperature.
Examples in context
- 寒い天気が３週間も続いた。The cold weather continued for three weeks.This sentence is useful for describing the duration of 寒い天気.Tatoeba #184037 by KK_kaku_, translation #21155 by CK
- ４月になって寒い天気が続いた。The cold weather extended into April.This sentence shows how 寒い天気 can extend into a different month.Tatoeba #235217 by e4zh1nmcz, translation #72594 by CK
- どれくらいこの寒い天気は続きますか。How long will this cold weather go on?This sentence is useful for asking about the expected duration of 寒い天気.Tatoeba #199669 by mookeee, translation #36871 by CM
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yota and Himari are talking about the current season.
- 陽太 Yota最近、本当に寒い天気だね。Saikin, hontō ni samui tenki da ne.The weather has been really cold lately, hasn't it?
- 陽葵 Himariそうだね。風も強いし。Sō da ne. Kaze mo tsuyoi shi.It has. And the wind is strong too.
- 陽太 Yota寒い天気は苦手なんだ。Samui tenki wa nigate nan da.I'm not good with cold weather.
- 陽葵 Himari私は冬が好きだよ。Watashi wa fuyu ga suki da yo.I like winter.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
