いい天気ですね
ii tenki desu ne
The English phrase "the weather is nice" is translated into Japanese as いい天気ですね (ii tenki desu ne).
This phrase is a standard way to initiate small talk with strangers or acquaintances, such as neighbors or shopkeepers, to establish a friendly atmosphere. The word for weather in Japanese is tenki (天気).
Which one should you use?
While いい天気ですね is a standard way to express the sentiment, 天気がいいですね is a grammatically alternative way to express the same thing. You may also see 今日は天気が良いですね used to say "Today's weather is good, isn't it?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
If you are speaking to friends or family, you can make the phrase informal by replacing desu ne with da ne, resulting in いい天気だね.
How do you pronounce it?
ii tenki desu ne
When do people say it?
When someone makes this comment to you, a common and natural way to respond is そうですね to show agreement, meaning "That's true" or "It is, isn't it."
Did you know?
- The word tenki is made of two characters that mean 'heaven' and 'air' or 'spirit'.
- In Japan, commenting on the weather is not just small talk but a social lubricant used to avoid direct eye contact or immediate personal questions when starting a conversation.
- In traditional haiku poetry, referencing the weather or season is often a mandatory requirement called a 'kigo'.
Examples in context
- 今日はいい天気ですね。The weather is nice today.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase いい天気ですね in the context of today's weather.Tatoeba #348669 by zipangu, translation #3688260 by tom0483
- 今日の秋の天気は最高だ！ (Kyou no aki no tenki wa saikou da!)Today's autumn weather is fantastic!
- 本当にいい天気ですね。Hontō ni ii tenki desu ne.It really is nice weather, isn't it?
Example conversation
Two neighbors meeting on a sunny street.
- 美咲 Misakiいい天気ですね。Ii tenki desu ne.The weather is nice, isn't it?
- 陽太 Yotaはい、本当にいい天気ですね。Hai, hontō ni ii tenki desu ne.Yes, it really is nice weather.
- 美咲 Misakiお散歩日和ですね。Osanpo biyori desu ne.It is perfect weather for a walk.
- 陽太 Yotaそうですね、気持ちいいです。Sō desu ne, kimochii desu.That's true, it feels great.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
