How to say "rain" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 雨あめnounThe basic noun for rain itself — water falling from the sky. This is the word you want in almost any ordinary sentence about rain, whether the rain is light or heavy.
- 雨が降るあめがふるexpression, godan verbNot a noun but the verb phrase 'to rain': use it to say that rain falls or is falling, rather than to refer to rain as a thing.
- 雨降りあめふりnounA noun covering rain, rainfall and rainy weather: it presents rain as a condition of the weather, so it fits descriptions of rainy weather more than plain references to falling water.
- 降雨こううnounA noun for rainfall or rain, the kind of word found in weather reports and rainfall statistics; for everyday talk about rain, 雨 is the natural choice.
Use 雨 for rain itself, 「雨が降る」 when you need the verb 'to rain', 「雨降り」 for rain as rainy weather, and 降雨 for rainfall in weather-report or statistical contexts.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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