雨
yǔ/y²¹⁴/
The English word "rain" is 雨 (yǔ) in Chinese.
雨 is the noun for an instance of particles falling. When you want to use it as a verb meaning "to rain", you typically pair it with the verb 下 (xià, to fall/descend) to form the phrase 下雨.
Meaning: an instance of particles falling (noun)
Which one should you use?
To specify the intensity of the rain, you can add size modifiers: 大雨 literally means "big rain" and refers to heavy rain, while 小雨 literally means "small rain" and refers to light rain.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the verb "to rain", the verb 下 (xià, to descend) is paired with the noun 雨. If you want to indicate that the state of raining has begun or that a change in the weather has occurred, you can add the particle 了 (le) after the verb phrase to say 下雨了.
How do you pronounce it?
yǔ
Did you know?
- In traditional Chinese medicine, 'rain' is not just weather but is linked to the 'dampness' (湿) of the body, which can be treated through diet.
- The character 雨 began as a pictogram of a cloud with drops falling from it, mirroring ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs for the same phenomenon.
- The character for rain, 雨, serves as a radical in many other weather-related characters. You can identify words related to clouds, mist, or snow by looking for this specific component.
Examples in context
- 明天會下雨。Tomorrow it will rain.This sentence is useful for stating that it will rain tomorrow using 雨.Tatoeba #1507037 by egg0073, translation #1507036 by voxbubnya
- 刚开始下雨。It just started to rain.This sentence is useful for saying it just started to rain using 雨.Tatoeba #9956367 by GlossaMatik, translation #3605509 by karloelkebekio
- 可能要下雨了。It might rain.This sentence is useful for expressing the possibility of rain using 雨.Tatoeba #1223755 by tsayng, translation #1230486 by alec
- 今天下雨了。It rained today.
- 春天的雨水滋润了大地。The rainwater in spring nourishes the earth.
- 外面阴雨连绵，不适合出门。It's continuously rainy outside, not suitable for going out.
- 你带伞了吗？外面下雨了。Did you bring an umbrella? It's raining outside.
- 今天下了一场大雨，街上都淹了。It rained heavily today, and the streets are flooded.
- 下小雨的时候，最适合喝杯热茶。It's perfect to have a cup of hot tea when it's raining lightly.
- 上海的春天常常有毛毛雨。Shanghai's spring often has a fine drizzle.
- 230 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is looking out the window before going for a walk.
- 梓涵 Zihan外面的雨停了吗？Wàimiàn de yǔ tíng le ma?Has the rain outside stopped?
- 伟 Wei雨还在下，别出去了。Yǔ hái zài xià, bié chūqù le.The rain is still falling, don't go out.
- 梓涵 Zihan伟，你看那场大雨。Wěi, nǐ kàn nà chǎng dà yǔ.Wei, look at that heavy rain.
- 伟 Wei确实很大，我们等会儿再走吧。Quèshí hěn dà, wǒmen děng huìr zài zǒu ba.It really is heavy, let's wait a bit before leaving.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 雨, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 雨, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
