Weather Vocabulary in Traditional Chinese: 70+ Easy Words & Phrases for Beginners

Want to talk about the weather in Traditional Chinese without sounding like a robot reading a weather app? You’re in the right place.

This list gives you Traditional Chinese characters, pinyin (with tone marks), clear meanings, and short example sentences—so you can complain about heat, celebrate sunshine, or say “uh oh” when a storm shows up.

Yak Snark

You can’t control the weather. But you can control how confident you sound when you say “It’s pouring” instead of “uh… water falling, yes?”

Must-know weather words (quick visual cards)

Tap the speaker to hear the word in Taiwan Mandarin.

天氣

tiānqì

weather

今天天氣不錯。

jīntiān tiānqì búcuò.

The weather is pretty nice today.

晴天

qíngtiān

sunny day

今天是晴天，很適合散步。

jīntiān shì qíngtiān, hěn shìhé sànbù.

It’s sunny today—great for a walk.

多雲

duōyún

cloudy (many clouds)

今天多雲，但不太熱。

jīntiān duōyún, dàn bú tài rè.

It’s cloudy today, but not too hot.

陰天

yīntiān

overcast day

陰天的時候，我比較想待在室內。

yīntiān de shíhou, wǒ bǐjiào xiǎng dāi zài shìnèi.

When it’s overcast, I’d rather stay indoors.

下雨

xiàyǔ

to rain

外面在下雨，先別出門。

wàimiàn zài xiàyǔ, xiān bié chūmén.

It’s raining outside—don’t go out yet.

打雷

dǎléi

to thunder

快要下雨了，開始打雷了。

kuài yào xiàyǔ le, kāishǐ dǎléi le.

It’s about to rain—thunder is starting.

刮風

guāfēng

to be windy (wind blowing)

今天刮風，頭髮直接放棄努力。

jīntiān guāfēng, tóufǎ zhíjiē fàngqì nǔlì.

It’s windy today—my hair has officially given up.

颱風

táifēng

typhoon

聽說颱風要來了，記得注意安全。

tīngshuō táifēng yào lái le, jìdé zhùyì ānquán.

A typhoon is coming—stay safe.

Useful phrases you can say right now

These are the “small talk” lines you’ll hear all the time—short, natural, and super reusable.

今天天氣怎麼樣？

jīntiān tiānqì zěnmeyàng?

How’s the weather today?

天氣真好。

tiānqì zhēn hǎo.

The weather is really nice.

明天會下雨。

míngtiān huì xiàyǔ.

It’ll probably rain tomorrow.

帶把傘吧。

dài bǎ sǎn ba.

Bring an umbrella.

下大雨了！

xià dàyǔ le!

It’s pouring!

有點冷。

yǒudiǎn lěng.

It’s a bit cold.

熱到不行。

rè dào bùxíng.

It’s unbearably hot.

風很大。

fēng hěn dà.

The wind is strong.

雷聲好大！

léishēng hǎo dà!

That thunder is loud!

颱風要來了。

táifēng yào lái le.

A typhoon is coming.

氣溫下降了。

qìwēn xiàjiàng le.

The temperature dropped.

注意防曬。

zhùyì fángshài.

Remember sun protection.

A tiny “weather grammar” trick (no pain)

很 is the everyday “it’s ___” (很熱 / 很冷). 真 adds emotion (天氣真好!). 有點 is your polite hedge (有點冷 = “a bit chilly”). For future weather, 會 sounds like “likely” (明天會下雨), and 要 feels more “imminent” (雨要來了 / 颱風要來了).

Table of words (with examples)

Skim, tap audio, steal sentences. That’s the whole plan.

Sky, sun, and visibility

Good for “look up and comment” moments—aka 70% of weather small talk.

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH)	Translation (EN)
太陽	tàiyáng	the sun	太陽出來了。 tàiyáng chūlái le.	The sun came out.
陽光	yángguāng	sunlight	今天陽光很強。 jīntiān yángguāng hěn qiáng.	The sunlight is strong today.
放晴	fàngqíng	to clear up (after rain)	下午可能會放晴。 xiàwǔ kěnéng huì fàngqíng.	It might clear up in the afternoon.
雲	yún	cloud	天上有很多雲。 tiānshàng yǒu hěn duō yún.	There are lots of clouds in the sky.
彩虹	cǎihóng	rainbow	雨後出現了彩虹。 yǔhòu chūxiàn le cǎihóng.	A rainbow appeared after the rain.
霧	wù	fog	早上有霧，開車小心。 zǎoshàng yǒu wù, kāichē xiǎoxīn.	It’s foggy in the morning—drive carefully.
濃霧	nóngwù	dense fog	濃霧讓能見度很低。 nóngwù ràng néngjiàndù hěn dī.	Dense fog makes visibility low.
露水	lùshuǐ	dew	草上有露水，很漂亮。 cǎo shàng yǒu lùshuǐ, hěn piàoliang.	There’s dew on the grass—really pretty.

Rain and snow

From “a little drizzle” to “my shoes are a lake now.”

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH)	Translation (EN)
雨	yǔ	rain	這場雨下得很久。 zhè chǎng yǔ xià de hěn jiǔ.	This rain has been going on for a long time.
毛毛雨	máomáoyǔ	drizzle	只是毛毛雨，不用太緊張。 zhǐshì máomáoyǔ, búyòng tài jǐnzhāng.	It’s just drizzle—no need to panic.
小雨	xiǎoyǔ	light rain	外面下小雨，我跑一下就好。 wàimiàn xià xiǎoyǔ, wǒ pǎo yíxià jiù hǎo.	It’s light rain—I’ll just dash out quickly.
大雨	dàyǔ	heavy rain	大雨一來，路上很難走。 dàyǔ yì lái, lùshàng hěn nán zǒu.	When heavy rain hits, the roads are hard to navigate.
暴雨	bàoyǔ	torrential rain	暴雨的時候別靠近河邊。 bàoyǔ de shíhou bié kàojìn hébiān.	During torrential rain, don’t go near rivers.
陣雨	zhènyǔ	a passing shower	下午可能有陣雨，帶傘比較保險。 xiàwǔ kěnéng yǒu zhènyǔ, dài sǎn bǐjiào bǎoxiǎn.	There may be showers this afternoon—an umbrella is safer.
雷陣雨	léizhènyǔ	thundershower	雷陣雨來得快，也走得快。 léizhènyǔ lái de kuài, yě zǒu de kuài.	Thundershowers come fast and leave fast.
雨滴	yǔdī	raindrop	窗戶上都是雨滴。 chuānghù shàng dōu shì yǔdī.	The window is covered in raindrops.
雨衣	yǔyī	raincoat	我忘了帶雨衣，只好躲一下。 wǒ wàng le dài yǔyī, zhǐhǎo duǒ yíxià.	I forgot my raincoat, so I have to wait it out.
下雪	xiàxuě	to snow	如果下雪，路可能會結冰。 rúguǒ xiàxuě, lù kěnéng huì jiébīng.	If it snows, the roads might ice over.

Wind and extreme weather

When the air starts behaving like it has opinions.

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH)	Translation (EN)
風	fēng	wind	今天的風很舒服。 jīntiān de fēng hěn shūfu.	The wind feels nice today.
微風	wēifēng	breeze	有微風，體感比較涼。 yǒu wēifēng, tǐgǎn bǐjiào liáng.	There’s a breeze, so it feels cooler.
強風	qiángfēng	strong wind	強風天別站在招牌下面。 qiángfēng tiān bié zhàn zài zhāopái xiàmiàn.	In strong winds, don’t stand under signs.
風向	fēngxiàng	wind direction	風向變了，感覺更冷了。 fēngxiàng biàn le, gǎnjué gèng lěng le.	The wind direction changed—it feels colder.
風速	fēngsù	wind speed	今天風速很高。 jīntiān fēngsù hěn gāo.	The wind speed is high today.
暴風雨	bàofēngyǔ	storm (wind + rain)	暴風雨來時，盡量待在室內。 bàofēngyǔ lái shí, jǐnliàng dāi zài shìnèi.	When a storm hits, stay indoors if possible.
閃電	shǎndiàn	lightning	我看到閃電了。 wǒ kàndào shǎndiàn le.	I saw lightning.
龍捲風	lóngjuǎnfēng	tornado	龍捲風很危險，要遠離。 lóngjuǎnfēng hěn wēixiǎn, yào yuǎnlí.	Tornadoes are dangerous—keep away.
冰雹	bīngbáo	hail	下冰雹的時候別跑出去。 xià bīngbáo de shíhou bié pǎo chūqù.	When it hails, don’t run outside.

Temperature and how it feels

Because “hot” and “humid hot” are not the same emotional experience.

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH)	Translation (EN)
溫度	wēndù	temperature	今天溫度大概二十六度。 jīntiān wēndù dàgài èrshíliù dù.	Today’s temperature is about 26°C.
氣溫	qìwēn	air temperature	晚上氣溫會比較低。 wǎnshàng qìwēn huì bǐjiào dī.	At night, the air temperature is lower.
體感溫度	tǐgǎn wēndù	“feels like” temperature	體感溫度比實際溫度高。 tǐgǎn wēndù bǐ shíjì wēndù gāo.	It feels hotter than the actual temperature.
涼快	liángkuài	cool and comfortable	晚上比較涼快，我想出去走走。 wǎnshàng bǐjiào liángkuài, wǒ xiǎng chūqù zǒuzǒu.	Evenings are cooler—I want to go for a walk.
暖和	nuǎnhuo	warm (pleasant)	今天很暖和，不用穿太多。 jīntiān hěn nuǎnhuo, búyòng chuān tài duō.	It’s pleasantly warm today—no need to bundle up.
炎熱	yánrè	scorching hot	中午真的很炎熱。 zhōngwǔ zhēn de hěn yánrè.	Noon is seriously scorching.
悶熱	mēnrè	hot and stuffy (humid)	今天悶熱，我一直流汗。 jīntiān mēnrè, wǒ yìzhí liúhàn.	It’s hot and stuffy—I keep sweating.
寒冷	hánlěng	cold (serious cold)	這幾天特別寒冷。 zhè jǐ tiān tèbié hánlěng.	These past few days have been especially cold.
乾冷	gānlěng	dry cold	乾冷的天氣讓皮膚很乾。 gānlěng de tiānqì ràng pífū hěn gān.	Dry cold weather makes your skin dry.
濕冷	shīlěng	damp cold	濕冷最難受，保暖要做足。 shīlěng zuì nánshòu, bǎonuǎn yào zuò zú.	Damp cold is the worst—bundle up properly.

Forecasts and alerts

Words you’ll see in weather news (and in group chats full of panic emojis).

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH)	Translation (EN)
天氣預報	tiānqì yùbào	weather forecast	天氣預報說明天會下雨。 tiānqì yùbào shuō míngtiān huì xiàyǔ.	The forecast says it’ll rain tomorrow.
降雨機率	jiàngyǔ jīlǜ	chance of rain	今天降雨機率有七成。 jīntiān jiàngyǔ jīlǜ yǒu qī chéng.	Today’s chance of rain is 70%.
紫外線	zǐwàixiàn	UV (ultraviolet rays)	紫外線很強，記得防曬。 zǐwàixiàn hěn qiáng, jìdé fángshài.	The UV is strong—remember sun protection.
空氣品質	kōngqì pǐnzhì	air quality	今天空氣品質不太好。 jīntiān kōngqì pǐnzhì bú tài hǎo.	The air quality isn’t great today.
PM2.5	PM èr diǎn wǔ	PM2.5 (fine particles)	PM2.5 變高了，戴口罩比較安心。 PM èr diǎn wǔ biàn gāo le, dài kǒuzhào bǐjiào ānxīn.	PM2.5 is higher—wearing a mask feels safer.
警報	jǐngbào	warning / alert	手機跳出天氣警報了。 shǒujī tiàochū tiānqì jǐngbào le.	A weather alert popped up on my phone.
豪雨特報	háoyǔ tèbào	heavy rain advisory	氣象單位發布豪雨特報。 qìxiàng dānwèi fābù háoyǔ tèbào.	The weather service issued a heavy rain advisory.
颱風警報	táifēng jǐngbào	typhoon warning	如果有颱風警報，記得少出門。 rúguǒ yǒu táifēng jǐngbào, jìdé shǎo chūmén.	If there’s a typhoon warning, go out less.

Seasons and climate

Because the weather has a personality… and it changes personalities four times a year.

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH)	Translation (EN)
春天	chūntiān	spring	春天天氣常常變來變去。 chūntiān tiānqì chángcháng biàn lái biàn qù.	Spring weather changes a lot.
夏天	xiàtiān	summer	夏天很容易悶熱。 xiàtiān hěn róngyì mēnrè.	Summer gets stuffy and hot easily.
秋天	qiūtiān	autumn	秋天通常比較涼快。 qiūtiān tōngcháng bǐjiào liángkuài.	Autumn is usually cooler and comfortable.
冬天	dōngtiān	winter	冬天要注意保暖。 dōngtiān yào zhùyì bǎonuǎn.	In winter, pay attention to keeping warm.
梅雨季	méiyǔjì	plum rain season	梅雨季很潮濕，衣服不容易乾。 méiyǔjì hěn cháoshī, yīfu bù róngyì gān.	During plum rain season, it’s humid and clothes don’t dry easily.
氣候	qìhòu	climate	這裡的氣候我很喜歡。 zhèlǐ de qìhòu wǒ hěn xǐhuān.	I really like the climate here.

Optional variants and handy “combo” patterns

These make you sound more natural fast—without memorizing a hundred extra things.

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning / Use	Example (ZH)	Translation (EN)
晴朗	qínglǎng	clear and sunny (a bit “nicer” than 晴天)	今天天空很晴朗。 jīntiān tiānkōng hěn qínglǎng.	The sky is very clear and sunny today.
陰沉	yīnchén	gloomy (stronger vibe than 陰天)	天空陰沉，好像要下雨。 tiānkōng yīnchén, hǎoxiàng yào xiàyǔ.	The sky is gloomy—looks like rain.
一陣雨	yí zhèn yǔ	a brief shower (a natural “quantity” phrase)	剛剛下一陣雨，現在好多了。 gānggāng xià yí zhèn yǔ, xiànzài hǎo duō le.	It just rained briefly—now it’s much better.
一場雨	yì chǎng yǔ	a bout of rain (a whole “event”)	這一場雨把空氣洗乾淨了。 zhè yì chǎng yǔ bǎ kōngqì xǐ gānjìng le.	This rain cleaned the air.
寒流	hánliú	cold snap / cold wave	寒流來了，出門要多穿一點。 hánliú lái le, chūmén yào duō chuān yìdiǎn.	A cold snap is here—wear a bit more when you go out.
熱浪	rèlàng	heat wave	熱浪期間要多喝水。 rèlàng qījiān yào duō hē shuǐ.	During a heat wave, drink more water.