It's that time of year again - tsuyu梅雨 (つゆ) or in English, rainy season. It seems like there are a lot of weather words in English, but I think there are many more words in Japanese. There must be hundreds for the rainy season alone, but that is more than I know. Many of these Japanese words are onomatopoeia, the words that sound like what they describe. You can just imagine what it is by the sound the word makes. Here are a few words for the rainy season.
ame 雨 (あめ) - rain
bisho bisho - drenched to the skin
byoo - byoo - strong howling wind
doshaburi - downpour
goro - goro - the rumble of thunder
jakuu - weak rain
kasa 傘 (かさ) - umbrella
kirisame - drizzle
konukaame - fine rain
kumori 曇り (くもり) - cloudy
niwaka ame - sudden shower
oo-ame 大 (おお) 雨 (あめ). - torrential rain
pika - pika - the sparkle of the lightning
potsu-potsu - raindrops hitting dry ground
shito-shito - drizzle
tsuyuake 梅雨明け (つゆあけ) - the end of the rainy season
tsuyubare 梅雨晴 (つゆばれ) - sunny spell during the rainy season
I think the number of expressions reflect how important one sees the weather. Check out this list of words in Finnish for snow. https://everything2.com/title/Finnish+words+for+snow In Japanese onomatopoeia can be found in many fields, sound, light, temperature for example. I love the sweet, childish feeling of them. It is also so much easier to remember a sound if it is repeated, helpful when Japanese is not one's native language. Also have you noticed that the Japanese love to repeat other words (bye bye, ne ne, hai hai, chigau chigau, so so, pa pa...) It is considered uncultivated to answer a request with 'Hai hai', and one is often reprimanded with: 'Yes should only be used once.' to which some answer: Wakatta wakatta!
I shall show this to my grandson who is learning Japanese and really enjoying it. Sunny in Brisbane today after two days of a little very welcome rain, but no cats and dogs.
7 comments:
Interesting and it is raining here this morning. Love the cartoon.
I agree the descriptive names are interesting and I love the cartoon also. All sunny here
I think the number of expressions reflect how important one sees the weather. Check out this list of words in Finnish for snow. https://everything2.com/title/Finnish+words+for+snow
In Japanese onomatopoeia can be found in many fields, sound, light, temperature for example.
I love the sweet, childish feeling of them. It is also so much easier to remember a sound if it is repeated, helpful when Japanese is not one's native language.
Also have you noticed that the Japanese love to repeat other words (bye bye, ne ne, hai hai, chigau chigau, so so, pa pa...) It is considered uncultivated to answer a request with 'Hai hai', and one is often reprimanded with: 'Yes should only be used once.' to which some answer: Wakatta wakatta!
One of the first songs I learned was: Ame ame fure fure kaasan ga, jiya no me de omukae ureshii na. pichi pichi, chapu chapu ran ran ran.
I shall show this to my grandson who is learning Japanese and really enjoying it. Sunny in Brisbane today after two days of a little very welcome rain, but no cats and dogs.
Our doshoburi is one day after another of zah zah.
I knew a couple of those words, but not all of them! How interesting.
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