天気

tenki

weather

明日の天気はどうですか？

How will the weather be tomorrow?

formal

The state of the atmosphere at a particular place and time, including temperature, cloudiness, precipitation, wind, and other factors.

今日の天気は晴れです。

Today's weather is clear/sunny.

天気が悪いので、傘を持って行ってください。

The weather is bad, so please take an umbrella.

Used in both formal and casual contexts. Often combined with time expressions (e.g., 今日の天気, 明日の天気).

Collocations

天気が良いgood weather天気が悪いbad weather天気予報weather forecast天気予報によるとaccording to the weather forecast天気のいい日a day with good weather

Synonyms

気象天候

Related Phrases

天気予報phrase

weather forecast

天気図phrase

weather map

天気の移り変わりphrase

change in weather

Pro Tip

Common Weather Expressions

Learn phrases like 晴れ (hare, clear/sunny), 雨 (ame, rain), 雪 (yuki, snow), 風 (kaze, wind), and 曇り (kumo, cloudy) to describe weather conditions.

Gold Rule

天気 vs. 天候

Use 天気 for short-term weather conditions (e.g., 今日の天気). Use 天候 for longer periods or formal contexts (e.g., 今年の天候).

Word Origin

From Middle Chinese 天氣 (tʰɨn˥ kʰɨjH), combining 天 (sky, heaven) and 気 (air, atmosphere). The term has been used in Japanese since the Heian period (794–1185).

Usage Notes

天気 is the most common term for 'weather' in everyday speech, while 天候 is slightly more formal and refers to longer-term weather patterns. 気象 is used in technical or scientific contexts.

Word Breakdown

天

sky, heaven

root

気

air, atmosphere

root

和英辞典

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