小雨|こさめkosame[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounlight rain; drizzle
   昨日きのうは小雨こさめだった。↗

   There was a light rain yesterday.

• Synonym細雨さいうWrittenA written Sino-Japanese word for fine rain, found mostly in poetry and prose; more elegant than 「小雨」.
• Synonym微雨びうWrittenA written word, rarely used, for rain even lighter than 「小雨」.
• Related霧雨きりさめNeutralFog-like drizzle: drops so fine they feel like mist. Common in weather forecasts.
• Relatedぬか雨ぬかあめNeutralFine rain like rice bran; a native word, the same as 「小糠雨」. 「小雨」 is the common, general term for light rain.
• Related煙雨えんうWrittenWritten and poetic: misty rain, stressing the hazy scene where rain and mist blur together.
• Related小糠雨こぬかあめNeutralRain as fine as grains of bran; a native word with a literary flavor, for extremely fine drops.
• Antonym大雨おおあめNeutralHeavy rain, the everyday opposite of light 「小雨」.
• Antonym豪雨ごううWrittenTorrential rain, a meteorological term; the opposite end of the scale from 「小雨」.

For light rain in everyday speech use 「小雨」, as in 「小雨が降る」 or 「小雨決行」. For drops as fine as mist say 「霧雨」; 「小糠雨」, 「細雨」 and 「煙雨」 are literary. The opposites are 「大雨」 and 「豪雨」.

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

1. 少すこし降ふる雨あめ。小降こぶりの雨あめ。細こまかい雨あめ。こあめ。