How to say "rainfall" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 降りふりnounCovers precipitation falling, rain or snow alike, and typically appears in set expressions describing how something falls rather than standing alone; for rainfall as a quantity, 降水 or 降雨 is usually the word you want.この降りでは彼は来ない。↗He won't come in a rain like this.
- 降水こうすいnounThe technical choice for rainfall in the sense of precipitation as a measured amount, as in meteorology and forecasts; it includes not only rain but other forms of precipitation.
- 雨降りあめふりnounRefers to rain falling or rainy weather as an everyday phenomenon rather than a measured amount; suited to describing whether it is raining, as in weather talk or narrative.
- 降雨こううnounA somewhat formal word for rainfall or rain as an event or amount, common in weather reports and news contexts; less natural in casual conversation about the weather.
Use 降水 or 降雨 for rainfall as a measured or weather-report quantity, 「雨降り」 for rain falling or rainy weather, and 「降り」 mainly inside expressions for falling precipitation.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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