How to say "chill" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 冷やすひやすgodan verb, transitive verbCovers 'chill' as a physical action: making something colder, as you would chill a drink or refrigerate food. This is the verb you want for deliberately lowering a thing's temperature.
- 寒気さむけnounThe chill felt as shivers running through the body — from cold, fever, or a sudden fright. Use this for the physical sensation of shivering, not for cooling things.
- 冷気れいきnounA chill as coldness in the air or weather — the cold air that drifts in, a cold wave. It names the cold itself in the environment, not a shiver or an action.
- 悪寒おかんnounThe medical chill that comes with a fever — shaking with chills when ill. When 'chill' means a symptom of sickness rather than a feeling of cold, this is the word.
- suru verb, intransitive verbCovers the 'chill' of relaxing and taking it easy, as on a quiet day off. It has nothing to do with cold or shivering; reach for it only in the leisure sense.
Use 「冷やす」 to chill things, 寒気 or 悪寒 for shivers (the latter when ill), 冷気 for cold air or weather, and 「のんびり」 for chilling out.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
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