雨が降った
ame ga futta
In Japanese, "it rained" is said as 雨が降った (ame ga futta).
This phrase is used to state that rain fell in the past. You can modify the description of the rain by adding onomatopoeia. For example, 雨がパラパラ降った describes rain falling gently or softly, while 雨がザーザー降った describes the rain pouring heavily.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 雨 (rain), the particle が (the subject marker) and 降った (the past tense of the verb meaning "to fall").
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Kansai region, you might hear the dialectal form 雨降ったで to mean "it rained." In Hiroshima, locals may use 雨降ったじゃ to convey the same meaning.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase polite, replace the plain past tense 降った with the polite form 降りました, resulting in 雨が降りました.
How do you pronounce it?
ame ga futta
Did you know?
- The verb 降る used in 'it rained' is used for anything that falls from the sky, including snow 雪 and hail 雹, but it is never used for falling objects like a dropped pen.
- To describe a sudden summer downpour, the word 夕立 (yudachi) is used, which specifically links the event of raining to the evening time of day.
- Japanese uses 'mimetic' words like しとしと (shito-shito) to describe the sensory experience of rain, focusing on the sound and feeling rather than just the amount of water.
Examples in context
- 昨日は雨が降った。It rained yesterday.This sentence is useful for stating when the rain occurred using the form 雨が降った.Tatoeba #169987 by small_snow, translation #63300 by CK
- 夜の間に雨が降った。It rained during the night.This sentence is useful for describing rain that occurred during the night using the form 雨が降った.Tatoeba #79727 by bunbuku, translation #323990 by CK
- あいにく雨が降った。Unfortunately, it rained.This sentence is useful for expressing regret about the rain using the form 雨が降った.Tatoeba #234569 by small_snow, translation #71946 by CM
- 20 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two siblings are talking about their outdoor activities from yesterday.
- 陽葵 Himari昨日の午後は、雨が降った？Kinou no gogo wa, ame ga futta?Did it rain yesterday afternoon?
- 陽太 Yotaうん、急に雨が降ったよ。Un, kyuu ni ame ga futta yo.Yeah, it suddenly rained.
- 陽葵 Himariだから、公園に行けなかったんだね。Dakara, kouen ni ikenakatta nda ne.That's why you couldn't go to the park, right?
- 陽太 Yotaそうだよ。残念だった。Sou da yo. Zannen datta.That's right. It was a shame.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
