Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| garoa | /ɡaˈɾo.ɐ/ (Brazil) /ɡɐˈɾo.ɐ/ (Portugal) |
feminine |
| chuvisco | /ʃuˈvis.ku/ (Brazil) /ʃuˈviʃ.ku/ (Rio de Janeiro) |
masculine |
| caruja | /kaˈɾu.ʒɐ/ (Brazil) /kɐˈɾu.ʒɐ/ (Portugal) |
feminine, regional |
All these terms refer to light rain. You can use the noun forms to name the weather, or use their corresponding verbs to describe the act of raining lightly. If you want to describe an even gentler, finer drizzle, you might use the phrase chuva fininha.
Which one should you use?
garoa is the most common term used in Brazil to describe a fine, misty rain. chuvisco often implies droplets that are slightly larger or more distinct than the fine mist of garoa.
Is it said differently in some regions?
caruja is a regional term for drizzle used in certain parts of Brazil.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine noun garoa can be converted into the intransitive verb garoar to describe the action of drizzling. The masculine noun chuvisco corresponds to the verb chuviscar.
How do you pronounce it?
The word garoa is pronounced /ɡaˈɾo.ɐ/. It has three syllables, and the stress is on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- The city of São Paulo is famously nicknamed Terra da Garoa or 'Land of the Drizzle' because of its historically frequent misty rain.
- The term caruja is a linguistic survivor from Latin, tracing its roots back to the word cālīginem, which originally meant 'fog' rather than 'rain'.
- A Portuguese speaker might use the verb garoar to describe a weather pattern that feels more like a cloud touching the ground than actual falling rain.
Examples in context
- Ontem tivemos uma chuva forte, mas hoje está só garoando.We had heavy rain yesterday, but today there's only a light drizzle.This sentence is useful for showing how to use the verb form of garoa to contrast with heavy rain.Tatoeba #11740097 by Advanced, translation #8960643 by sundown
- Hoje de manhã, houve uma garoa finaThis morning, there was a fine drizzle
- O céu está cinza e cai um chuviscoThe sky is gray, and a drizzle is falling
- Hoje está chovendo miudinhoToday it's drizzling
- Vou sair com a jaqueta porque está pingando lá foraI'm going out with a jacket because it's drizzling
- A garoa caía delicadamente, criando pequenos espelhos d'água nas ruasThe drizzle fell delicately, creating small puddles on the streets
- Essa chuva fina é como uma névoa que envolve a cidadeThis fine rain is like a mist that envelops the city
- Hoje de manhã, teremos garoaThis morning, we will have drizzle
- Está um tempo chuvoso, com chuviscoThe weather is rainy, with drizzle
- A garoa está bem fina hoje.The drizzle is very fine today.
Example conversation
Lucas and Mariana are deciding whether to take an umbrella.
- LucasVocê acha que vai chover forte hoje?Do you think it's going to rain hard today?
- MarianaNão, parece que será apenas uma garoa.No, it looks like it will be just a drizzle.
- LucasEntão não precisamos de guarda-chuva?So we don't need an umbrella?
- MarianaAcho que não, Lucas.I don't think so, Lucas.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “drizzle” translations and entries garoa, chuvisco, caruja, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries caruja, chuvisco, garoa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
