Nature & Weather

都会とかいを離れてはなれて自然しぜんの中なかで過ごすすごす時間じかんは最高さいこうです。

Time spent in nature, away from the city, is the best.

Usage 自然 is both the noun 'nature' and a な-adjective meaning natural: 自然な日本語 = natural Japanese. 都会 (とかい) = the city, 過ごす = to spend time.

Remember it 自 (self) + 然 (a state of being). What is so of itself, without human help.

今日きょうの天気てんきは晴れはれときどき曇りくもりでしょう。

Today's weather will be sunny with occasional cloud.

Usage 天気 is the weather right now; 気候 (きこう) is the climate of a region. でしょう softens a forecast to 'will probably', standard in weather reports.

Remember it 天 (heaven, sky) + 気 (air, mood). The mood of the sky.

明日あしたは晴れはれになるといいですね。

I hope it turns out sunny tomorrow.

Usage The verb is 晴れる (to clear up). といいですね = 'I hope that…', a very common way to express a wish about something outside your control.

Remember it 晴 = 日 (sun) + 青 (blue). Sun and blue sky together.

傘かさを持ってもってきてよかったよかった、途中とちゅうで雨あめが降りふりました。

I'm glad I brought an umbrella — it rained on the way.

Usage Rain and snow always 降る (ふる), never 落ちる. てよかった = 'I'm glad I did'. Note 雨 (あめ) and 飴 (あめ, sweets) differ only in pitch.

Remember it 雨 is a pictograph: the line of the sky, with drops falling beneath it.

北海道ほっかいどうでは冬ふゆに大量たいりょうの雪ゆきが降りますふります。

Large amounts of snow fall in Hokkaido in winter.

Usage 雪が降る = it snows, 雪が積もる (つもる) = the snow piles up. 大雪 (おおゆき) = heavy snow, 雪国 (ゆきぐに) = snow country.

Remember it 雪 = 雨 (rain) over a hand sweeping. Rain you have to sweep away.

今日きょうは曇りくもりで少しすこし肌寒いはださむいです。

It's cloudy today and a little chilly.

Usage The verb is 曇る (to cloud over), used of glasses and mirrors fogging up too. 肌寒い (はださむい) = chilly on the skin, a lovely precise word.

Remember it 曇 = 日 (sun) over 雲 (cloud). The sun with cloud on top of it.

強いつよい風かぜで傘かさが飛ばされそうとばされそうになりました。

The strong wind nearly blew my umbrella away.

Usage Note the homophone: 風 (かぜ, wind) and 風邪 (かぜ, a cold) sound identical — and 風邪 is written with this very kanji, from the old idea of illness on the wind.

Remember it 風 has 虫 inside it — an old belief that the wind carried creatures and spirits along with it.

台風たいふうが接近せっきんしているため、外出がいしゅつを控えてひかえてください。

A typhoon is approaching, so please refrain from going out.

Usage Typhoons are numbered rather than named in Japan: 台風19号. 控える (ひかえる) = to refrain from, 外出 = going out.

Remember it 台 + 風 (wind). Japanese 台風 and English 'typhoon' are related words that travelled between languages.

昨夜さくや地震じしんがありましたが、被害ひがいはなかったようです。

There was an earthquake last night, but there seems to have been no damage.

Usage 地震がある is how you say an earthquake happened — not 起きる in casual speech. 震度 (しんど) is Japan's own intensity scale, distinct from magnitude.

Remember it 地 (ground) + 震 (to shake). The ground shaking — and 震 carries 雨 on top.

地震じしんの後あと、津波つなみ警報けいほうが発令はつれいされました。

After the earthquake, a tsunami warning was issued.

Usage This word went the other way: English borrowed 'tsunami' from Japanese. 警報 (けいほう) = a warning, 注意報 (ちゅういほう) = a lesser advisory.

Remember it 津 (a harbour) + 波 (a wave). The wave that strikes the harbour.

富士山ふじさんは美しいうつくしい火山かざんです。

Mt. Fuji is a beautiful volcano.

Usage Japan has over a hundred active volcanoes, so 火山 appears often in the news. 噴火する (ふんか) = to erupt. Note 山 reads ざん here through rendaku.

Remember it 火 (fire) + 山 (mountain). The fire mountain.

週末しゅうまつに友達ともだちと山やまに登りのぼりました。

I climbed a mountain with a friend at the weekend.

Usage 登る (のぼる) takes に for mountains: 山に登る. The on-reading さん appears in 富士山 and 火山, and ざん after certain sounds.

Remember it 山 is a picture of three peaks rising side by side.

川かわの近くちかくを散歩さんぽするのが好きすきです。

I like taking walks near the river.

Usage In river names the kanji voices to がわ: 江戸川 (えどがわ). Also written 河 for large rivers. 散歩する = to go for a stroll.

Remember it 川 is three flowing lines — water running between banks.

夏なつは家族かぞくで海うみに行くいくのが楽しみたのしみです。

I look forward to going to the sea with my family in summer.

Usage 海 (うみ) is the sea; 海外 (かいがい) means overseas, literally 'outside the sea' — which is how an island nation describes abroad.

Remember it 海 = 氵 (water) + 毎. A vast body of water.

森もりの中なかを静かにしずかに歩きあるきました。

I walked quietly through the forest.

Usage 森 is a dense forest, 林 (はやし) a lighter wood. Both are built from 木, and the count of trees tells you the density.

Remember it 森 is three 木 (trees) stacked; 林 is two. More trees, denser forest.

公園こうえんの大きなおおきな木きの下したで昼寝ひるねをしました。

I had a nap under the big tree in the park.

Usage 木 means both a living tree and wood as a material. It reads もく in 木曜日 (Thursday) and ぼく in 木材 (timber).

Remember it 木 is a tree: trunk up the middle, branches above, roots spreading below.

春はるになると、桜さくらの花はなが咲きさきます。

When spring comes, the cherry blossoms bloom.

Usage 咲く (さく) = to bloom, used only of flowers. 花見 (はなみ) = cherry-blossom viewing. Careful: 花 and 鼻 (nose) are both はな, differing in pitch.

Remember it 花 = 艹 (grass) over 化 (to change). The plant transforming into bloom.

草くさが伸びてのびてきたので、庭にわの草取りくさとりをしました。

The grass had grown long, so I weeded the garden.

Usage 草 covers grass and weeds alike. 草取り (くさとり) = weeding, 雑草 (ざっそう) = weeds specifically. 伸びる (のびる) = to grow longer.

Remember it 草 = 艹 (the grass radical) + 早. The radical itself is two sprouting shoots.

子供こどもは動物園どうぶつえんで様々さまざまな動物どうぶつを見てみて喜んでよろこんでいました。

The children were delighted to see all sorts of animals at the zoo.

Usage 動物 = animals, 植物 (しょくぶつ) = plants, 生物 (せいぶつ) = living things. 様々な (さまざま) = various, 喜ぶ = to be delighted.

Remember it 動 (to move) + 物 (thing). Things that move, as against 植物, things that are planted.

窓まどの外そとで小鳥ことりがきれいなきれいな声こえで鳴いてないています。

Outside the window, a little bird is singing beautifully.

Usage 鳴く (なく) is the verb for any animal sound — birds, cats, insects. Japanese calls the sound a 声 (voice), where English would say a call or song.

Remember it 鳥 is a bird drawn side-on: head, body, and the four dots below were once tail feathers.

この地方ちほうは一年中いちねんじゅう温暖おんだんな気候きこうに恵めぐまれています。

This region is blessed with a mild climate all year round.

Usage 気候 is a region's long-term climate; 天気 is today's weather. 気候変動 (きこうへんどう) = climate change, standard in news Japanese.

Remember it 気 (air) + 候 (season, condition). The seasonal condition of the air.

夏なつの夜よるには虫むしの声こえが聞こえますきこえます。

On summer nights you can hear the insects singing.

Usage 虫の声 — Japanese calls insect sounds 'voices' and treats them as a beloved seasonal pleasure, which is a genuinely different sensibility from English.

Remember it 虫 was originally a picture of a snake or worm, later broadened to all small creatures.

今日きょうの最高さいこう気温きおんは三十五度さんじゅうごどの予報よほうです。

Today's forecast high is thirty-five degrees.

Usage 気温 is air temperature; 体温 (たいおん) is body temperature; 温度 (おんど) is temperature generally. 最高気温 / 最低気温 = the day's high and low.

Remember it 気 (air) + 温 (warmth). The warmth of the air.

今年ことしの夏なつは特にとくに暑いあついですね。

This summer is especially hot, isn't it?

Usage Three あつい to keep apart: 暑い (hot weather), 熱い (a hot object or drink), 厚い (thick). Getting these confused is a classic N3 mistake.

Remember it 暑 has 日 (sun) at the top — heat coming from the sky, not from an object.

北きたの地方ちほうは冬ふゆになると非常ひじょうに寒くさむくなります。

Northern regions get extremely cold in winter.

Usage 寒い is cold air or weather; 冷たい (つめたい) is cold to the touch — a drink, a hand. English uses 'cold' for both, so pick carefully.

Remember it 寒 has 冫, the ice radical, at its base. Ice underfoot.

梅雨つゆの季節きせつは湿気しっけが多くておおくて不快ふかいです。

The rainy season is humid and unpleasant.

Usage 梅雨 (つゆ) is Japan's June rainy season — an irregular reading, literally 'plum rain'. 湿気が多い = humid, using 多い rather than 高い.

Remember it 湿 (damp, with the water radical) + 気 (air). Damp in the air.

冬ふゆは乾燥かんそうしてのどのどが痛くいたくなりやすいです。

Winter is dry, so your throat easily becomes sore.

Usage 乾燥する = to be or become dry, the opposite of 湿気. Verb stem + やすい = 'easily becomes': なりやすい, 分かりやすい.

Remember it 乾 (dry) + 燥 (to parch). Both halves mean dryness, and 燥 carries 火.

春はるになると桜さくらが咲いてさいて街まちが明るくあかるくなります。

When spring comes, the cherry trees bloom and the town brightens.

Usage Spring begins the Japanese year: the school and business years both start in April. 〜になると = 'whenever X comes around', for recurring events.

Remember it 春 has 日 (sun) at the base, with growth pushing up above it.

夏なつの海うみは人ひとでいっぱいいっぱいです。

The sea is packed with people in summer.

Usage で marks what something is full of: 人でいっぱい. Summer brings 夏祭り, 花火大会 and お盆 (the mid-August festival of the ancestors).

Remember it 夏 shows a figure with an elaborate head — from ancient summer ceremonial dress.

秋あきは紅葉こうようが美しくうつくしく色づきますいろづきます。

In autumn the leaves turn beautiful colours.

Usage 紅葉 reads こうよう for the phenomenon and もみじ for maple leaves themselves. Autumn leaf-viewing is as much a national outing as cherry blossom.

Remember it 秋 = 禾 (grain) + 火 (fire). Harvest time, when stubble was burned off.

冬ふゆの朝あさは布団ふとんから出るのがでるのが辛いつらいです。

On winter mornings it's hard to get out of bed.

Usage Here 辛い reads つらい (emotionally hard), not からい (spicy) — the same kanji trap from the food lesson, in a natural setting.

Remember it 冬 sits on 冫, the ice radical, the same one under 寒い.

環境かんきょうを守るまもるために、一人一人ひとりひとりが行動こうどうすることが大切たいせつです。

To protect the environment, it's important that each person acts.

Usage 環境 covers the natural environment and also one's circumstances: 職場環境 = working environment. 一人一人 = each individual.

Remember it 環 (a ring, to encircle) + 境 (a boundary). What encircles you.

工場こうじょうからの排水はいすいが川かわを汚染おせんしています。

Wastewater from the factory is polluting the river.

Usage 汚染する = to pollute, 大気汚染 = air pollution. The related adjective 汚い (きたない) means dirty, and 汚れる (よごれる) = to get dirty.

Remember it 汚 (dirty) + 染 (to stain, to dye). Staining something dirty.

絶滅ぜつめつ危惧種きぐしゅの動物どうぶつを保護ほごするための法律ほうりつがあります。

There are laws to protect endangered animal species.

Usage 保護する = to protect or safeguard. The same 保 appears in 保険 (insurance) and 保証 (warranty) — all about keeping something safe.

Remember it 保 (to keep) + 護 (to guard). Keeping and guarding.

ペットボトルをリサイクルすることで、資源しげんを有効ゆうこうに活用かつようできます。

By recycling plastic bottles, we can make effective use of resources.

Usage ことで = 'by means of doing'. Japan sorts rubbish strictly — 燃えるゴミ (burnable) and 燃えないゴミ (non-burnable) are everyday vocabulary.

Remember it From English 'recycle'. The native equivalent 再利用 (さいりよう) exists but the loanword dominates.

地球ちきゅう温暖化おんだんかは深刻しんこくな問題もんだいです。

Global warming is a serious problem.

Usage 地球温暖化 = global warming, a set phrase you will meet in any N3 reading passage about the environment. 深刻 (しんこく) = serious, grave.

Remember it 地 (ground, earth) + 球 (a ball). The earth-ball — the planet.

山やまの空気くうきは新鮮しんせんで気持ちがいいきもちがいいです。

The mountain air is fresh and feels wonderful.

Usage 空気を読む (くうきをよむ) = to read the room, literally to read the air — one of the most culturally loaded phrases in Japanese.

Remember it 空 (empty, sky) + 気 (air). The emptiness that is actually air.

今日きょうは波なみが高いたかいので、泳およぐのは危険きけんです。

The waves are high today, so swimming is dangerous.

Usage 波 is also used figuratively for a wave of change: 新しい波 = a new wave. The same kanji sits in 津波 (tsunami).

Remember it 波 = 氵 (water) + 皮 (skin). The skin of the water.

畑はたけの土つちを耕してたがやして野菜やさいを植えうえました。

I tilled the soil in the field and planted vegetables.

Usage 土 reads つち for soil but ど in 土曜日 (Saturday) and 土地 (とち, land). 畑 (はたけ) is a dry field, 田 (た) a rice paddy.

Remember it 土 is a mound of earth heaped on the ground line.

子供こどもたちが砂場すなばで砂すなのお城しろを作ってつくっていました。

The children were building sandcastles in the sandpit.

Usage 砂場 (すなば) = sandpit, 砂漠 (さばく) = desert, 砂糖 (さとう) = sugar — literally 'sand sugar', from its grainy look.

Remember it 砂 = 石 (stone) + 少 (few, small). Stone ground down to almost nothing.

青いあおい空そらに白いしろい雲くもが浮かんでうかんでいます。

White clouds are floating in the blue sky.

Usage This kanji works hard: そら (sky), から in 空っぽ (empty), あ in 空く (to become vacant), くう in 空気 and 空港. Context decides every time.

Remember it 空 = 穴 (a hole) + 工. The great emptiness overhead.

雲くもが出てでてきて急にきゅうに暗くくらくなりました。

Clouds came out and it suddenly got dark.

Usage 雲 (くも) and 蜘蛛 (くも, spider) are homophones distinguished by pitch. 出てくる = to come out or appear, 急に = suddenly.

Remember it 雲 = 雨 (rain) over 云. The thing that rain comes from.

太陽たいようが沈むしずむと空そらがオレンジ色いろに染まりそまりました。

As the sun set, the sky turned orange.

Usage 太陽 is the sun as an astronomical body; 日 (ひ) is the everyday sun and sunlight. 沈む (しずむ) = to sink or set, 昇る (のぼる) = to rise.

Remember it 太 (great) + 陽 (sunlight, the yang principle). The great light.

満月まんげつの夜よる、月つきがとても明るくあかるく輝いてかがやいていました。

On the night of the full moon, it was shining very brightly.

Usage 月 means both moon and month — 三月 is March, 三か月 is three months. 満月 (まんげつ) = full moon, and 月見 (つきみ) is autumn moon-viewing.

Remember it 月 is a crescent moon. It also serves as the flesh radical in body kanji like 腹 and 臓.