寒い
samui[sa̠mɯ̟i]
In Japanese, "it is cold" is said as 寒い (samui).
The phrase 寒い is used to describe the low temperature of the air or the weather. As an i-adjective, 寒い can be used alone in casual conversation to mean "it is cold" without needing an additional verb.
Which one should you use?
Use 寒い (samui) when referring to air temperature or the weather. If you are describing the temperature of objects or things you touch, such as ice or cold water, use 冷たい (tsumetai) instead.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the past tense, use 寒かった (samukatta) for "it was cold". To express the negative form, "it is not cold", use 寒くない (samukunai).
How do you pronounce it?
samui
Did you know?
- If you feel the air conditioning is too strong, saying 寒い is a common, polite way to indirectly ask someone to adjust the temperature.
- Historically, the word 寒い was sometimes pronounced as sabushi, a sound that made it nearly indistinguishable from words meaning 'lonely'.
- In early Japanese, the sounds 'm' and 'b' often swapped, a pattern visible in the relationship between 寒い (samui) and the word for 'lonely', 寂しい (sabishii).
Examples in context
- 外は寒いよ。It is cold outside.This sentence is useful for stating that it is cold outside using 寒い.Tatoeba #3051171 by tommy_san, translation #2085301 by freddy1
- そこは夏でも寒いんだ。It is cold there even in summer.This sentence shows that it is cold in a certain place even during summer using 寒い.Tatoeba #213617 by small_snow, translation #50904 by BE
- 外は寒いよ。コートを着なさい。It is cold outdoors. Put on your coat.This example shows how to mention it is cold outside using 寒い.Tatoeba #184866 by small_snow, translation #21997 by CM
- 今日はとても寒いです。It is very cold today.
- これからもっと寒いですね。It will be even colder from now on, won't it?
- 今日寒い！It's cold today!
- これからもっと寒いね。It will be even colder from now on, right?
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Himari are walking outside in winter.
- 蓮 Ren今日は本当に寒いね。Kyō wa hontō ni samui ne.It is really cold today, isn't it?
- 陽葵 Himariうん、風が強いし寒いね。Un, kaze ga tsuyoi shi samui ne.Yeah, the wind is strong and it's cold.
- 蓮 Ren陽葵は厚いコートを着ているね。Himari wa atsui kōto o kite iru ne.Himari, you are wearing a thick coat.
- 陽葵 Himariだって、外はすごく寒いもん。Datte, soto wa sugoku samui mon.Because it's very cold outside.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 寒い, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 寒い, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
