How to Say "Rainy Day" in Japanese

雨の日

ame no hi

The English phrase "rainy day" is translated into Japanese as 雨の日 (ame no hi).

雨の日 is used to refer to a literal rainy day.

Meaning: literal usage (noun)

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of 雨 (ame) meaning 'rain', の (no) a possessive particle and 日 (hi) meaning 'day'.

雨の日 is a noun phrase that can be used as the subject or object of a sentence, often followed by particles like が (ga) or を (wo).

ame no hi

In Japanese culture, the 'rainy season' is not just weather but a distinct season called 梅雨 (tsuyu), which literally means 'plum rain'.
The word for rain, 雨 (ame), is actually a homophone for the word meaning 'candy' (both spelled あめ), though they are written with different kanji.
While 雨の日 is literal, Japanese has the word 雨宿り (amayadori) specifically for the act of taking shelter from rain until it stops.

今日は涼しい雨の日です。
Today is a cool, rainy day.
This sentence is useful for describing the current weather.
Tatoeba #10212530 by small_snow, translation #9735635 by DJ_Saidez
雨の日は外に出ないに限る。
The best bet on a rainy day is to remain indoors.
This sentence is useful for expressing a preference or advice regarding rainy weather.
Tatoeba #189566 by KK_kaku_, translation #26719 by Dejo
その事故はある雨の日に起こった。
The accident happened on a rainy day.
This sentence is useful for describing when a specific event occurred.
Tatoeba #209866 by KK_kaku_, translation #47129 by CK
今日は雨の日です。
Today is a rainy day.
雨天のため、試合が延期されました。
The game was postponed due to rainy conditions.
1 more sentence on Tatoeba

Yui and Kenta are deciding what to do on a weekend.

結衣 Yui

明日は雨の日になりそうですね。
Ashita wa ame no hi ni narisō desu ne.
It looks like tomorrow will be a rainy day.
健太 Kenta

そうですね。どこに行きましょうか。
Sō desu ne. Doko ni ikimashō ka.
You're right. Where should we go?
結衣 Yui

雨の日は美術館がいいと思います。
Ame no hi wa bijutsukan ga ii to omoimasu.
I think an art museum is good for a rainy day.
健太 Kenta

いいアイデアですね。そうしましょう。
Ii aidea desu ne. Sō shimashō.
That's a great idea. Let's do that.

Sources

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