天気
tenki[tẽ̞ŋʲkʲi]
The English phrase 'weather' can be translated into Japanese as 天気 (tenki). Wiktionary also lists 天候 (tenkō) and 気象 (kishō).
Meaning: state of the atmosphere (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 天気 | tenki | [tẽ̞ŋʲkʲi] (narrow) |
| 天候 | tenkō | [tẽ̞ŋko̞ː] (narrow) |
| 気象 | kishō | [kʲiɕo̞ː] (narrow) |
The term refers to the state of the atmosphere. You may use the word 雷雨 to refer specifically to thunderstorms, the verb 晴れる to say 'to clear up' or the phrase 雨が降る to say 'to rain'.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 天気 is composed of the characters 天 (sky/heaven) and 気 (spirit/energy/air).
Which one should you use?
天気 is the standard, everyday word for 'weather' used in daily conversation. 天候 is a more formal or technical term often used in news reports or weather forecasts to describe weather conditions. 気象 refers to the scientific or technical aspect of weather, such as in 'meteorology' (気象学).
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
tenki
Did you know?
- The character 気 in 天気 is used in dozens of words for emotions and health, as the Japanese traditionally viewed 'energy' or 'air' as the source of both weather and human mood.
- The character 天 in 天気 historically referred to the 'Heavenly Emperor' or the divine will, suggesting that weather was once seen as a message from the gods.
- In traditional Japanese culture, certain 'weather' events like the first snow or the arrival of the rainy season are treated as poetic milestones with their own specific vocabulary.
Examples in context
- ひどい天気！What horrible weather.This sentence is useful for expressing an exclamation about bad weather using 天気.Tatoeba #2456862 by tommy_san, translation #430442 by FeuDRenais
- 天気はいい？Is the weather nice?This sentence is useful for asking a question about whether the weather is nice using 天気.Tatoeba #8763912 by bunbuku, translation #871776 by CK
- いい天気です。The weather is good.This sentence is useful for stating that the weather is good using 天気.Tatoeba #2173966 by bunbuku, translation #1766700 by CK
- 今日の天気はどうですか？How is today's weather?
- 明日は晴れます。Tomorrow will be sunny.
- 今日は雨が降ります。It will rain today.
- 明後日は曇ります。The day after tomorrow will be cloudy.
- 雪が降っています。It is snowing.
- いい天気だね！The weather is nice, isn't it?
- 365 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Kenta are talking about their weekend plans.
- 美咲 Misaki明日の天気はどうかな？Ashita no tenki wa dou kana?I wonder how the weather will be tomorrow.
- 健太 Kentaきっといい天気だよ。Kitto ii tenki dayo.I'm sure the weather will be good.
- 美咲 Misakiだったら、公園に行こう。Dattara, kouen ni ikou.In that case, let's go to the park.
- 健太 Kenta賛成！楽しみだね。Sansei! Tanoshimi dane.I agree! I'm looking forward to it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “weather” translations and entries 天気, 天候, 気象, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
