小雨
kosame[ko̞sa̠me̞]
The Japanese phrase for "light rain" is 小雨 (kosame).
小雨 is used to describe rain that falls gently and in small drops.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of the kanji 小, meaning "small" and 雨, meaning "rain".
How do you pronounce it?
kosame
Did you know?
- The word 小雨 contains a sound that may be a linguistic relative of the English possessive 's.
- The reading for the 'rain' part of 小雨, which is さめ (same), is distinct from the standard pronunciation of 'rain' as あめ (ame).
- Japanese uses specific poetic terms like 春雨 (harusame) to describe 'spring rain', which carries a different emotional nuance than the purely functional 小雨.
Examples in context
- 昨日は小雨だった。There was a light rain yesterday.This sentence shows how to use 小雨 to describe the weather from the previous day.Tatoeba #170053 by bunbuku, translation #244433 by CK
- 私が家を出る直前に、小雨が降り始めた。I was on the point of leaving home when a light rain started to fall.This sentence demonstrates how to use 小雨 when describing rain starting to fall.Tatoeba #1139063 by bunbuku, translation #255015 by CK
- 今日は小雨が降っていますToday, it's light rain.
- 小降りだから傘は要らないよIt's light rain, so you don't need an umbrella.
- 小雨なら、傘はいらないよ。kosame nara, kasa wa iranai yo.If it's just light rain, you don't need an umbrella.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yota and Yui are standing at the entrance of a cafe checking the weather.
- 陽太 Yota外は小雨が降っているね。soto wa kosame ga futte iru ne.It is raining lightly outside, isn't it?
- 結衣 Yui本当だ。少し濡れちゃうかな。hontou da. sukoshi nurechau kana.You're right. I wonder if I'll get a little wet.
- 陽太 Yota僕の傘を貸してあげるよ。boku no kasa o kashite ageru yo.I'll lend you my umbrella.
- 結衣 Yuiありがとう、陽太くん。arigatou, Yota-kun.Thank you, Yota.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 小雨, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 小雨, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
