Chinese Weather Conversation Vocabulary For Beginners
Talk about weather in simplified Chinese with 天气对话词汇 tiānqì duìhuà cíhuì, useful phrases, and real-life examples you can actually use outside a textbook. Wild concept, apparently.
Weather talk is the easiest social upgrade in any language. You do not need poetry. You need a few practical words like 热 rè (hot), 冷 lěng (cold), and 下雨 xiàyǔ (to rain), then you stitch them together into normal human conversation.
This guide teaches the Chinese weather vocabulary that shows up in daily life, from “It is freezing” to “Bring an umbrella.” Every key item includes simplified Chinese, pinyin with tone marks, English meaning, and a real sentence so you can stop sounding like a phrasebook from 2004.
Yak Tip: Start Small
Most weather conversations are not deep. They are tiny. Learn a few patterns like 今天很热 jīntiān hěn rè (Today is very hot) and 外面在下雨 wàimiàn zài xiàyǔ (It is raining outside), and suddenly you sound way more capable than someone memorizing “meteorological conditions.”
Core Weather Words You Will Use All The Time
天气 tiānqì
weather
今天天气不错。
Jīntiān tiānqì búcuò.
Today’s weather is not bad.
热 rè
hot
今天太热了。
Jīntiān tài rè le.
It’s too hot today.
冷 lěng
cold
晚上很冷。
Wǎnshang hěn lěng.
It’s very cold at night.
下雨 xiàyǔ
to rain / raining
外面在下雨。
Wàimiàn zài xiàyǔ.
It’s raining outside.
晴天 qíngtiān
sunny day
明天是晴天。
Míngtiān shì qíngtiān.
Tomorrow will be sunny.
阴天 yīntiān
cloudy day
今天有点阴天。
Jīntiān yǒudiǎn yīntiān.
It’s a bit cloudy today.
风 fēng
wind
今天风很大。
Jīntiān fēng hěn dà.
The wind is strong today.
温度 wēndù
temperature
今天的温度很舒服。
Jīntiān de wēndù hěn shūfu.
Today’s temperature is comfortable.
Useful Weather Phrases And Real-Life Sentences
- 今天天气怎么样？ Jīntiān tiānqì zěnmeyàng? — How is the weather today?
今天天气怎么样？有点冷。
Jīntiān tiānqì zěnmeyàng? Yǒudiǎn lěng.
How’s the weather today? It’s a little cold. - 今天很热。 Jīntiān hěn rè. — It’s very hot today.
今天很热，别忘了喝水。
Jīntiān hěn rè, bié wàng le hē shuǐ.
It’s very hot today, don’t forget to drink water. - 今天很冷。 Jīntiān hěn lěng. — It’s very cold today.
今天很冷，你多穿一点。
Jīntiān hěn lěng, nǐ duō chuān yìdiǎn.
It’s very cold today, wear a bit more. - 外面在下雨。 Wàimiàn zài xiàyǔ. — It’s raining outside.
外面在下雨，我们打车吧。
Wàimiàn zài xiàyǔ, wǒmen dǎchē ba.
It’s raining outside, let’s take a taxi. - 快下雪了。 Kuài xiàxuě le. — It’s about to snow.
天这么冷，快下雪了。
Tiān zhème lěng, kuài xiàxuě le.
It’s so cold, it’s about to snow. - 今天是晴天。 Jīntiān shì qíngtiān. — It’s sunny today.
今天是晴天，我们去公园吧。
Jīntiān shì qíngtiān, wǒmen qù gōngyuán ba.
It’s sunny today, let’s go to the park. - 今天有点阴。 Jīntiān yǒudiǎn yīn. — It’s a bit cloudy today.
今天有点阴，可能会下雨。
Jīntiān yǒudiǎn yīn, kěnéng huì xiàyǔ.
It’s a bit cloudy today, it may rain. - 风很大。 Fēng hěn dà. — The wind is strong.
今天风很大，帽子别吹跑了。
Jīntiān fēng hěn dà, màozi bié chuī pǎo le.
The wind is strong today, don’t let your hat blow away. - 空气很潮湿。 Kōngqì hěn cháoshī. — The air is humid.
南方夏天空气很潮湿。
Nánfāng xiàtiān kōngqì hěn cháoshī.
The air is very humid in the south in summer. - 今天很闷热。 Jīntiān hěn mēnrè. — It’s muggy today.
今天很闷热，我一点都不想出门。
Jīntiān hěn mēnrè, wǒ yìdiǎn dōu bù xiǎng chūmén.
It’s muggy today, I really don’t want to go out. - 带把伞吧。 Dài bǎ sǎn ba. — Bring an umbrella.
外面有乌云，带把伞吧。
Wàimiàn yǒu wūyún, dài bǎ sǎn ba.
There are dark clouds outside, bring an umbrella. - 明天会更暖和。 Míngtiān huì gèng nuǎnhuo. — It will be warmer tomorrow.
今天冷一点，明天会更暖和。
Jīntiān lěng yìdiǎn, míngtiān huì gèng nuǎnhuo.
It’s colder today; tomorrow will be warmer. - 晚上会降温。 Wǎnshang huì jiàngwēn. — The temperature will drop tonight.
晚上会降温，记得带外套。
Wǎnshang huì jiàngwēn, jìde dài wàitào.
The temperature will drop tonight, remember to bring a jacket. - 今天适合出门。 Jīntiān shìhé chūmén. — It’s good weather for going out.
不冷也不热，今天很适合出门。
Bù lěng yě bù rè, jīntiān hěn shìhé chūmén.
It’s neither cold nor hot, so today is great for going out.
Weather Words Table: Basic Conditions
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Meaning | Example (ZH) | Example (Pinyin) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 天气 | tiānqì | weather | 今天天气很好。 | Jīntiān tiānqì hěn hǎo. | The weather is very good today. |
| 晴天 | qíngtiān | sunny day | 明天是晴天。 | Míngtiān shì qíngtiān. | Tomorrow will be sunny. |
| 阴天 | yīntiān | cloudy day | 今天是阴天。 | Jīntiān shì yīntiān. | Today is cloudy. |
| 多云 | duōyún | partly cloudy | 下午会多云。 | Xiàwǔ huì duōyún. | It will be partly cloudy this afternoon. |
| 下雨 | xiàyǔ | to rain | 外面在下雨。 | Wàimiàn zài xiàyǔ. | It is raining outside. |
| 大雨 | dàyǔ | heavy rain | 今晚有大雨。 | Jīnwǎn yǒu dàyǔ. | There will be heavy rain tonight. |
| 小雨 | xiǎoyǔ | light rain | 现在只是小雨。 | Xiànzài zhǐshì xiǎoyǔ. | Right now it is only light rain. |
| 阵雨 | zhènyǔ | shower / brief rain | 下午可能有阵雨。 | Xiàwǔ kěnéng yǒu zhènyǔ. | There may be showers this afternoon. |
| 下雪 | xiàxuě | to snow | 北方已经下雪了。 | Běifāng yǐjīng xiàxuě le. | It has already snowed in the north. |
| 雪 | xuě | snow | 我喜欢看雪。 | Wǒ xǐhuan kàn xuě. | I like watching snow. |
| 雾 | wù | fog | 今天早上有雾。 | Jīntiān zǎoshang yǒu wù. | There was fog this morning. |
| 雷 | léi | thunder | 我听到雷了。 | Wǒ tīngdào léi le. | I heard thunder. |
| 闪电 | shǎndiàn | lightning | 昨晚有闪电。 | Zuówǎn yǒu shǎndiàn. | There was lightning last night. |
| 台风 | táifēng | typhoon | 台风快来了。 | Táifēng kuài lái le. | The typhoon is coming soon. |
| 乌云 | wūyún | dark clouds | 天上都是乌云。 | Tiānshang dōu shì wūyún. | The sky is full of dark clouds. |
| 彩虹 | cǎihóng | rainbow | 雨后有彩虹。 | Yǔ hòu yǒu cǎihóng. | There is a rainbow after the rain. |
Weather Words Table: Temperature, Wind, And Air
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Meaning | Example (ZH) | Example (Pinyin) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 温度 | wēndù | temperature | 今天温度不高。 | Jīntiān wēndù bù gāo. | The temperature is not high today. |
| 气温 | qìwēn | air temperature | 今天气温二十度。 | Jīntiān qìwēn èrshí dù. | Today’s temperature is 20 degrees. |
| 度 | dù | degree | 现在三十度。 | Xiànzài sānshí dù. | It is 30 degrees now. |
| 热 | rè | hot | 中午特别热。 | Zhōngwǔ tèbié rè. | It is especially hot at noon. |
| 凉快 | liángkuai | cool / pleasantly cool | 晚上很凉快。 | Wǎnshang hěn liángkuai. | It is pleasantly cool at night. |
| 冷 | lěng | cold | 早上真冷。 | Zǎoshang zhēn lěng. | It is really cold in the morning. |
| 暖和 | nuǎnhuo | warm | 今天下午很暖和。 | Jīntiān xiàwǔ hěn nuǎnhuo. | It is warm this afternoon. |
| 闷热 | mēnrè | muggy | 今天有点闷热。 | Jīntiān yǒudiǎn mēnrè. | It is a bit muggy today. |
| 潮湿 | cháoshī | humid / damp | 房间很潮湿。 | Fángjiān hěn cháoshī. | The room is very humid. |
| 干燥 | gānzào | dry | 北方冬天很干燥。 | Běifāng dōngtiān hěn gānzào. | Winter in the north is very dry. |
| 风 | fēng | wind | 今天风不小。 | Jīntiān fēng bù xiǎo. | The wind is not weak today. |
| 大风 | dàfēng | strong wind | 外面有大风。 | Wàimiàn yǒu dàfēng. | There is strong wind outside. |
| 微风 | wēifēng | breeze | 今天有点微风。 | Jīntiān yǒudiǎn wēifēng. | There is a light breeze today. |
| 升温 | shēngwēn | temperature rise | 明天会升温。 | Míngtiān huì shēngwēn. | The temperature will rise tomorrow. |
| 降温 | jiàngwēn | temperature drop | 晚上要降温。 | Wǎnshang yào jiàngwēn. | It will cool down tonight. |
| 体感温度 | tǐgǎn wēndù | feels-like temperature | 今天体感温度更低。 | Jīntiān tǐgǎn wēndù gèng dī. | It feels colder today. |
Weather Conversation Table: Everyday Questions And Comments
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Meaning | Example (ZH) | Example (Pinyin) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 今天天气怎么样？ | Jīntiān tiānqì zěnmeyàng? | How is the weather today? | 今天天气怎么样？ | Jīntiān tiānqì zěnmeyàng? | How is the weather today? |
| 今天真热。 | Jīntiān zhēn rè. | It is really hot today. | 今天真热，空调开一下吧。 | Jīntiān zhēn rè, kōngtiáo kāi yíxià ba. | It is really hot today, let’s turn on the AC. |
| 今天真冷。 | Jīntiān zhēn lěng. | It is really cold today. | 今天真冷，我想喝热茶。 | Jīntiān zhēn lěng, wǒ xiǎng hē rèchá. | It is really cold today, I want hot tea. |
| 外面在下雨。 | Wàimiàn zài xiàyǔ. | It is raining outside. | 外面在下雨，别出门了。 | Wàimiàn zài xiàyǔ, bié chūmén le. | It is raining outside, do not go out. |
| 会下雨吗？ | Huì xiàyǔ ma? | Will it rain? | 下午会下雨吗？ | Xiàwǔ huì xiàyǔ ma? | Will it rain this afternoon? |
| 今天会下雪吗？ | Jīntiān huì xiàxuě ma? | Will it snow today? | 你觉得今天会下雪吗？ | Nǐ juéde jīntiān huì xiàxuě ma? | Do you think it will snow today? |
| 记得带伞。 | Jìde dài sǎn. | Remember to bring an umbrella. | 外面阴天，记得带伞。 | Wàimiàn yīntiān, jìde dài sǎn. | It is cloudy outside, remember to bring an umbrella. |
| 多穿一点。 | Duō chuān yìdiǎn. | Wear a bit more. | 今天冷，你多穿一点。 | Jīntiān lěng, nǐ duō chuān yìdiǎn. | It is cold today, wear a bit more. |
| 别晒太久。 | Bié shài tài jiǔ. | Do not stay in the sun too long. | 中午很热，别晒太久。 | Zhōngwǔ hěn rè, bié shài tài jiǔ. | It is hot at noon, do not stay in the sun too long. |
| 风很大，小心点。 | Fēng hěn dà, xiǎoxīn diǎn. | The wind is strong, be careful. | 今天风很大，小心点。 | Jīntiān fēng hěn dà, xiǎoxīn diǎn. | The wind is strong today, be careful. |
| 今天适合出门。 | Jīntiān shìhé chūmén. | It is nice for going out today. | 天气不错，今天适合出门。 | Tiānqì búcuò, jīntiān shìhé chūmén. | The weather is nice, today is good for going out. |
| 晚上会降温。 | Wǎnshang huì jiàngwēn. | It will cool down tonight. | 晚上会降温，带件外套吧。 | Wǎnshang huì jiàngwēn, dài jiàn wàitào ba. | It will cool down tonight, bring a jacket. |
| 明天会更暖和。 | Míngtiān huì gèng nuǎnhuo. | It will be warmer tomorrow. | 别担心，明天会更暖和。 | Bié dānxīn, míngtiān huì gèng nuǎnhuo. | Do not worry, it will be warmer tomorrow. |
| 天气预报怎么说？ | Tiānqì yùbào zěnme shuō? | What does the weather forecast say? | 你看了吗？天气预报怎么说？ | Nǐ kàn le ma? Tiānqì yùbào zěnme shuō? | Did you check? What does the weather forecast say? |
| 今天空气不太好。 | Jīntiān kōngqì bú tài hǎo. | The air is not very good today. | 今天空气不太好，少跑步吧。 | Jīntiān kōngqì bú tài hǎo, shǎo pǎobù ba. | The air is not very good today, maybe run less. |
| 外面很舒服。 | Wàimiàn hěn shūfu. | It feels nice outside. | 不冷不热，外面很舒服。 | Bù lěng bù rè, wàimiàn hěn shūfu. | It is neither cold nor hot; it feels nice outside. |
A Few Easy Patterns That Make Weather Talk Work
- 今天 + 很 + adjective
今天很热。
Jīntiān hěn rè.
It’s hot today. - 外面 + 在 + weather verb
外面在下雨。
Wàimiàn zài xiàyǔ.
It’s raining outside. - 明天 + 会 + verb / adjective
明天会降温。
Míngtiān huì jiàngwēn.
It will cool down tomorrow. - 有点 + adjective
今天有点冷。
Jīntiān yǒudiǎn lěng.
It’s a little cold today. - 太 + adjective + 了
今天太闷热了。
Jīntiān tài mēnrè le.
It’s too muggy today.
Common Mix-Ups And Tiny Fixes
- 热 rè means hot, while 暖和 nuǎnhuo means warm. Do not call a pleasant spring day “scorching” unless drama is the goal.
- 凉快 liángkuai is pleasantly cool. 冷 lěng is cold. One sounds comfortable, the other sounds like you need socks immediately.
- 下雨 xiàyǔ and 下雪 xiàxuě both use 下 xià for rain and snow. Handy little pattern. Chinese loves efficiency when it feels like it.
- 阴天 yīntiān is cloudy or overcast, while 多云 duōyún is more like partly cloudy. One is gloomier. The other still has hope.
- 天气 tiānqì is weather in general. 天气预报 tiānqì yùbào is the weather forecast.
天气预报说明天有雨。
Tiānqì yùbào shuō míngtiān yǒu yǔ.
The weather forecast says there will be rain tomorrow.
Quick Practice
Try reading these short lines out loud. Yes, out loud. Silent studying is often just pretending with better posture.
- 今天很热。
Jīntiān hěn rè.
It’s hot today. - 今天有点阴。
Jīntiān yǒudiǎn yīn.
It’s a bit cloudy today. - 外面在下雨，带把伞吧。
Wàimiàn zài xiàyǔ, dài bǎ sǎn ba.
It’s raining outside, bring an umbrella. - 晚上会降温，别穿太少。
Wǎnshang huì jiàngwēn, bié chuān tài shǎo.
The temperature will drop tonight, don’t wear too little. - 明天是晴天，我们去散步吧。
Míngtiān shì qíngtiān, wǒmen qù sànbù ba.
Tomorrow will be sunny, let’s go for a walk.
Quick Reference Summary
- 天气 tiānqì — weather
- 热 rè — hot
- 冷 lěng — cold
- 凉快 liángkuai — pleasantly cool
- 暖和 nuǎnhuo — warm
- 下雨 xiàyǔ — to rain
- 下雪 xiàxuě — to snow
- 晴天 qíngtiān — sunny day
- 阴天 yīntiān — cloudy day
- 风很大 fēng hěn dà — the wind is strong
- 会下雨吗？ huì xiàyǔ ma? — will it rain?
- 带把伞吧 dài bǎ sǎn ba — bring an umbrella
Final Yak Box
If you can say 今天天气怎么样？ Jīntiān tiānqì zěnmeyàng?, 今天很热。 Jīntiān hěn rè., and 外面在下雨。 Wàimiàn zài xiàyǔ., you already have the backbone of real Chinese weather conversation. That is enough to start chatting, sounding natural, and avoiding the classic beginner move of knowing fifty nouns but zero usable sentences.
