Key takeaways
- Chinese weather vocabulary uses specific verbs for precipitation: 下雨 (xià yǔ: to rain) and 下雪 (xià xuě: to snow) both use 下 (xià: to fall/come down).
- Temperature in Chinese is expressed with 度 (dù: degrees), and the weather forecast is 天气预报 (tiānqì yùbào: weather forecast).
- Seasons are easy to learn: each is the relevant character plus 天 (tiān: sky/day), giving 春天, 夏天, 秋天, 冬天.
- A handful of sentence patterns cover the most common weather conversations you will have in Chinese.
- Connecting weather vocabulary to real daily life accelerates retention significantly.
You’re in a taxi in Beijing and the driver turns to you and asks, 今天天气怎么样? (Jīntiān tiānqì zěnyàng? What is the weather like today?) You know the word for weather. You heard 今天 (jīntiān: today). But the moment to respond passes before the sentence assembles in your head.
On italki, 30,000+ tutors across 150+ languages, including Chinese, help learners move vocabulary from textbook to real conversation. Work with a Chinese tutor and practice weather conversations until you can respond naturally in taxis, cafés, and casual settings.
This guide covers basic weather vocabulary with pinyin, temperature and season terms, essential conversation phrases, and tips for using weather vocabulary in real-world practice.
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Basic Chinese weather vocabulary
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 天气 | tiānqì | weather |
| 晴天 | qīngtiān | sunny day |
| 多云 | duōyún | cloudy |
| 阴天 | yīntiān | overcast |
| 下雨 | xià yǔ | raining / to rain |
| 下雪 | xià xuě | snowing / to snow |
| 刮风 | guāfēng | windy / wind blowing |
| 雷阵雨 | léi zhènyǔ | thunderstorm |
| 雾 | wù | fog |
| 冰雹 | bīngbáo | hail |
| 台风 | táifēng | typhoon |
下 (xià: to fall, to come down) is the verb used for precipitation. You 下雨 (xià yǔ: rain falls), you 下雪 (xià xuě: snow falls).
Book a Chinese tutoring session on italki and master the 下 verb pattern in conversation.
Temperature vocabulary
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 温度 | wēndù | temperature |
| 热 | rè | hot |
| 冷 | lěng | cold |
| 凉快 | liángkuai | cool / refreshing |
| 暖和 | nuǎnhuo | warm |
凉快 (liángkuai: cool and refreshing) carries a positive connotation of pleasant coolness after heat. 热 (rè: hot) is used when the heat is uncomfortable. 暖和 (nuǎnhuo: warm) describes pleasant warmth.
Practice using these adjectives in full sentences in conversations with an online Chinese teacher.
Seasons in Chinese
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 春天 | chūntiān | spring |
| 夏天 | xiàtiān | summer |
| 秋天 | qiūtiān | autumn / fall |
| 冬天 | dōngtiān | winter |
Example sentences: 春天经常下雨 (Chūntiān jīngcháng xià yǔ: It rains often in spring.) 冬天很冷 (Dōngtiān hěn lěng: Winter is very cold.)
Connect each season to your own climate and weather patterns. Talk about your favourite and least favourite seasons with a Chinese language tutor.
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Essential weather conversation phrases
今天天气怎么样?
(Jīntiān tiānqì zěnyàng?) — What is the weather like today?
明天会下雨吗?
(Míngtiān huì xià yǔ ma?) — Will it rain tomorrow?
天气预报说… (Tiānqì yùbào shuō…) — The weather forecast says… Example: 天气预报说明天会刮风 (The weather forecast says it will be windy tomorrow.)
气温是多少度?
(Qìwēn shì duōshao dù?) — What is the temperature?
Use all four phrases in a single conversation with an online Chinese tutor so you build fluency across the whole range.
How to use weather vocabulary in daily practice
Change your phone or browser settings to display weather in Chinese. Watch a Chinese weather forecast on YouTube. Practice describing the weather in Chinese before you go to bed each night: 今天是晴天 (Jīntiān shì qīngtiān: Today is a sunny day). Weather topics appear regularly in HSK listening sections, particularly at HSK 2 and HSK 3 levels.
Move beyond word lists and talk about the weather with Chinese tutors online on italki. Work through casual weather conversations until you can respond in real-time in any setting: taxis, cafés, casual meetings.
With over 15 years of experience connecting learners to qualified teachers, italki has helped students in 190+ countries develop natural conversational patterns. Book a trial lesson today.
FAQ Are there regional differences in Chinese weather vocabulary I should be aware of?
Standard Mandarin weather vocabulary is consistent across mainland China, Taiwan, and other Mandarin-speaking communities. Sticking to the standard vocabulary in this guide will serve you in any Mandarin-speaking environment.
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FAQ
How do I talk about weather that happened in the past in Chinese?
Add a time reference to make the timing clear. 昨天下雨了 (Zuótiān xià yǔ le: Yesterday it rained.) The 了 (le) at the end signals a completed action. 昨天 (zuótiān: yesterday) makes the timing explicit.
What is the difference between 阴天 (yīntiān) and 多云 (duōyún)?
多云 (duōyún: cloudy) describes significant cloud cover but with some brightness coming through. 阴天 (yīntiān: overcast) describes a sky fully covered with thick cloud, giving a grey, dim quality to the light. 阴天 often precedes rain.
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