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Japanese Weather Kanji: Learn Weather & Season Words in Japanese

Master Japanese weather and season kanji: 天 (ten/sky), 雨 (ame/rain), 雪 (yuki/snow), 風 (kaze/wind), and the four seasons 春夏秋冬. Each kanji includes the character, hiragana reading, romaji pronunciation, and example sentences for daily conversation.

Japanese Weather Kanji at a Glance

The Rain Radical (雨)

Many weather kanji share the rain radical 雨 (ame-kanmuri) at the top. You'll see it in 雪 (snow), 雲 (cloud), 雷 (thunder), and 霧 (fog). Recognizing this radical instantly tells you a kanji is weather-related.

Four Seasons Culture

Japan celebrates four distinct seasons (四季 shiki). Season kanji appear everywhere: greetings, food names, festivals, and haiku poetry. Knowing 春夏秋冬 is essential to understanding Japanese culture.

JLPT Levels

Core weather kanji like 天, 雨, 風 and the four seasons are JLPT N5-N4 level. Extended weather vocabulary like 雷 (thunder), 霧 (fog), and 嵐 (storm) appear at N3-N2.

Common Japanese Weather & Season Kanji

These fourteen kanji cover weather phenomena, the four seasons, and key climate-related concepts used in everyday Japanese.

MeaningKanjiHiraganaRomajiJLPT
Sky / Heaven天てんtenN5
Weather気きkiN5
Rain雨あめameN5
Snow雪ゆきyukiN4
Wind風かぜkazeN4
Cloud雲くもkumoN3
Thunder雷かみなりkaminariN2
Storm嵐あらしarashiN1
Spring春はるharuN4
Summer夏なつnatsuN4
Autumn秋あきakiN4
Winter冬ふゆfuyuN4
Clear / Sunny晴はれhareN3
Hot暑あついatsuiN4

All Japanese Weather & Season Kanji

Explore each weather kanji with its readings and an example sentence used in everyday Japanese.

🌤
天
Sky / Heaven
てん (ten)
On'yomi: テン (ten)|Kun'yomi: あめ (ame), あま (ama)

Example:

今日は天気がいいですね。

Kyou wa tenki ga ii desu ne.

The weather is nice today, isn't it?

🌡
気
Weather / Spirit
き (ki)
On'yomi: キ (ki), ケ (ke)|Kun'yomi: None

Example:

天気予報を確認してください。

Tenki yohou o kakunin shite kudasai.

Please check the weather forecast.

🌧
雨
Rain
あめ (ame)
On'yomi: ウ (u)|Kun'yomi: あめ (ame), あま (ama)

Example:

明日は雨が降るでしょう。

Ashita wa ame ga furu deshou.

It will probably rain tomorrow.

❄
雪
Snow
ゆき (yuki)
On'yomi: セツ (setsu)|Kun'yomi: ゆき (yuki)

Example:

北海道では雪がたくさん降ります。

Hokkaidou de wa yuki ga takusan furimasu.

It snows a lot in Hokkaido.

💨
風
Wind
かぜ (kaze)
On'yomi: フウ (fuu), フ (fu)|Kun'yomi: かぜ (kaze), かざ (kaza)

Example:

今日は風が強いです。

Kyou wa kaze ga tsuyoi desu.

The wind is strong today.

☁
雲
Cloud
くも (kumo)
On'yomi: ウン (un)|Kun'yomi: くも (kumo)

Example:

空に大きな雲が浮かんでいます。

Sora ni ookina kumo ga ukande imasu.

A large cloud is floating in the sky.

⚡
雷
Thunder
かみなり (kaminari)
On'yomi: ライ (rai)|Kun'yomi: かみなり (kaminari)

Example:

雷が鳴っているので外に出ないでください。

Kaminari ga natte iru node soto ni denai de kudasai.

Please don't go outside because there's thunder.

🌪
嵐
Storm
あらし (arashi)
On'yomi: ラン (ran)|Kun'yomi: あらし (arashi)

Example:

嵐の前は静かです。

Arashi no mae wa shizuka desu.

It is calm before the storm.

🌸
春
Spring
はる (haru)
On'yomi: シュン (shun)|Kun'yomi: はる (haru)

Example:

春になると桜が咲きます。

Haru ni naru to sakura ga sakimasu.

When spring comes, the cherry blossoms bloom.

☀
夏
Summer
なつ (natsu)
On'yomi: カ (ka), ゲ (ge)|Kun'yomi: なつ (natsu)

Example:

夏休みに海へ行きました。

Natsuyasumi ni umi e ikimashita.

I went to the beach during summer vacation.

🍂
秋
Autumn
あき (aki)
On'yomi: シュウ (shuu)|Kun'yomi: あき (aki)

Example:

秋は紅葉がきれいです。

Aki wa kouyou ga kirei desu.

The autumn leaves are beautiful in fall.

⛄
冬
Winter
ふゆ (fuyu)
On'yomi: トウ (tou)|Kun'yomi: ふゆ (fuyu)

Example:

冬は温泉に入りたいです。

Fuyu wa onsen ni hairitai desu.

I want to go to a hot spring in winter.

🌞
晴
Clear / Sunny
はれ (hare)
On'yomi: セイ (sei)|Kun'yomi: はれ (hare), はれる (hareru)

Example:

明日は晴れるといいですね。

Ashita wa hareru to ii desu ne.

I hope it will be sunny tomorrow.

🥵
暑
Hot
あつい (atsui)
On'yomi: ショ (sho)|Kun'yomi: あつい (atsui)

Example:

今日はとても暑いです。

Kyou wa totemo atsui desu.

It is very hot today.

Weather & Season Compound Words (Jukugo)

Japanese creates rich weather vocabulary by combining kanji. These compound words are essential for weather forecasts, seasonal greetings, and everyday conversation.

CompoundReadingMeaning
天気てんき (tenki)Weather (lit. sky + spirit)
天気予報てんきよほう (tenki yohou)Weather forecast
大雨おおあめ (ooame)Heavy rain (lit. big + rain)
大雪おおゆき (ooyuki)Heavy snow (lit. big + snow)
台風たいふう (taifuu)Typhoon (lit. platform + wind)
春分しゅんぶん (shunbun)Vernal equinox (lit. spring + divide)
夏至げし (geshi)Summer solstice (lit. summer + reach)
秋分しゅうぶん (shuubun)Autumnal equinox (lit. autumn + divide)
冬至とうじ (touji)Winter solstice (lit. winter + reach)
四季しき (shiki)Four seasons (lit. four + season)
風雨ふうう (fuuu)Wind and rain / storm
雷雨らいう (raiu)Thunderstorm (lit. thunder + rain)
晴天せいてん (seiten)Clear sky (lit. clear + sky)
猛暑もうしょ (mousho)Extreme heat (lit. fierce + hot)

Weather & Seasons in Japanese Culture

The Four Seasons (四季 Shiki)

Japan's culture revolves around its four distinct seasons. Each season has associated foods, festivals, greetings, and aesthetic concepts. Cherry blossoms (桜) mark spring, fireworks (花火) define summer, red leaves (紅葉) celebrate autumn, and hot springs (温泉) warm winter.

春
Spring (haru)
Cherry blossoms
夏
Summer (natsu)
Festivals & fireworks
秋
Autumn (aki)
Red leaves
冬
Winter (fuyu)
Hot springs & snow

Weather-Related Expressions

Weather kanji appear in many common Japanese expressions and proverbs (kotowaza).

嵐の前の静けさ

Arashi no mae no shizukesa

"The calm before the storm": A peaceful moment before trouble arrives.

雨降って地固まる

Ame futte ji katamaru

"After rain, the ground hardens": Adversity strengthens bonds and resolves.

春眠暁を覚えず

Shunmin akatsuki o oboezu

"In spring sleep, one doesn't notice the dawn": Spring mornings are so pleasant you oversleep.

風の便り

Kaze no tayori

"News on the wind": Hearing about something through the grapevine or rumor.

Tips for Remembering Japanese Weather Kanji

Look for the Rain Radical

The 雨 (ame-kanmuri) radical sits on top of many weather kanji: 雪 (snow), 雲 (cloud), 雷 (thunder), 霧 (fog). When you see those four dots under a horizontal line at the top, you know it's weather-related.

Learn Seasons as a Set

Memorize 春夏秋冬 (haru-natsu-aki-fuyu) as a four-character set. This order (spring-summer-autumn-winter) is always used in Japanese, and recognizing the set helps you recall each season instantly.

Watch Weather Forecasts

Japanese TV weather forecasts (天気予報 tenki yohou) are excellent listening practice. They use weather kanji repeatedly with visual cues, making it easy to connect the characters to real conditions.

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