How to say "atmosphere" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 雰囲気ふんいきnounCovers the everyday sense of 'atmosphere' as the mood, feel, or ambience of a place, person, or occasion — a cozy café, a tense meeting. This is the default choice for that sense.
- 空気くうきnounLiterally 'air,' the gas we breathe, but also the mood or feeling that pervades a situation — the tense air of a meeting, say. Context makes clear which sense is meant.
- 大気たいきnounThe physical atmosphere: the mass of air surrounding the earth or another planet. It belongs to scientific and technical contexts — weather, pressure, pollution — and is not used for the mood of a place.
- nounA loanword for the mood or atmosphere of an occasion or setting — a romantic dinner, a gloomy room. It overlaps with 雰囲気 and fits wherever English 'mood' would work.
- 含みふくみnounSeldom the word you want for 'atmosphere': it really means implication or hidden meaning — what a statement leaves unsaid — with 'atmosphere' only in the sense of a suggestive undertone in words.
Use 雰囲気 for the mood or feel of a place, person, or occasion; 空気 for air or a situation's mood; 大気 for the earth's gaseous envelope; 「ムード」 for the mood of an occasion; 「含み」 only for suggestive undertones.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
- 雰囲気ふんいきatmosphere
- 空気くうきair
- 大気たいきatmosphere
- ムードmood
- 含みふくみimplication
- 肌合いはだあいdisposition
- アトモスフィアatmosphere
- 気圏きけんatmosphere
- 情調じょうちょうatmosphere
- 空気感くうきかんatmosphere (esp. of a place or person)
- バイブスvibes
- 佇まいたたずまいappearance
- 気圧きあつatmosphere (unit of pressure)
- 情緒じょうちょatmosphere
- 磁場じばambience
- カラーcolor
- 座ざgathering
- バイブvibe
- 気き(the) air
See also
This browser can't play pronunciations (needs Safari 18.4 or later, or Chrome / Edge / Firefox).
