How to say "icy" in Japanese

• 冷たいつめたいJLPT N5approx.Common
  i-adjectiveThe common word for something unpleasantly cold to the touch — icy water, an icy wind. It also covers 'chilly' and 'freezing', and is the default choice for the literal sense of 'icy'.
  もう手てが冷つめたくって。↗

  My hand's getting too cold.
• アイシー
  na-adjectiveIt is a loanword from English and is less common than 冷たい. For the literal 'cold to the touch' sense, 冷たい is the usual choice; アイシー is seldom the word you need.
• ひゃっこい
  i-adjectiveA colloquial word for something cold to the touch, with the same range of meanings as 冷たい, including 'icy'. It belongs to casual conversation; elsewhere 冷たい is the safer choice.
• ちべたい
  i-adjectiveA less common word with the same meanings as 冷たい: cold to the touch, chilly, icy, freezing. 冷たい is the common word for all of these, so this is seldom the one you need.

For the literal 'cold to the touch' sense of icy, the common 「冷たい」 is the default; 「ひゃっこい」 is its colloquial counterpart, while 「アイシー」 and 「ちべたい」 are less common alternatives you will seldom need.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 冷たいつめたいcold (to the touch)
• アイシーicy
• ひゃっこいcold
• ちべたいcold (to the touch)