天気はどうですか？
tenki wa dou desu ka?
The English phrase "how is the weather?" is translated into Japanese as 天気はどうですか？ (tenki wa dou desu ka?)
The phrase is used to ask about the current state of the atmosphere outside.
What does it mean word for word?
In the phrase 天気はどうですか？, 天気 literally means "weather", どう means "how" or "in what way" and ですか is a way to say "is it?" in a question.
Which one should you use?
For a more specific inquiry about the current day, you can use 今日の天気は？ to mean "What's the weather like today?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
天気はどうですか？ is used in formal situations. For casual settings like talking to friends or family, you can use the informal 天気どう？ or 天気はどう？ The phrase 今日の天気は？ is also used in informal contexts to ask about the weather today.
How does it change in a sentence?
The ending ですか is the standard way to form a polite question in Japanese.
How do you pronounce it?
tenki wa dou desu ka?
Did you know?
- While 天気 means 'weather', the word 天 refers to 'heaven' and 気 refers to 'spirit' or 'energy'. Literally, Japanese speakers are asking about the 'spirit of the heavens'.
- Japanese has many specific words for types of 'weather' that English lacks, such as 春一番 'haru-ichiban', which refers specifically to the first strong southerly wind of spring.
- While English speakers often ask 'how is the weather' to start small talk, Japanese speakers often use specific seasonal greetings instead of asking about the current weather directly.
Examples in context
- 今日の天気はどうですか？kyou no tenki wa dou desu ka?How is the weather today?
- 外の天気はどうですか？soto no tenki wa dou desu ka?How is the weather outside?
Example conversation
Yota and Yui are talking on the phone.
- 陽太 Yota結衣さん、天気はどうですか？Yui-san, tenki wa dō desu ka?Yui, how is the weather?
- 結衣 Yuiとてもいい天気ですよ。Totemo ii tenki desu yo.The weather is very nice.
- 陽太 Yotaそれはいいですね。Sore wa ii desu ne.That's good.
- 結衣 Yui陽太さんのところは？Yōta-san no tokoro wa?How about where you are, Yota?
