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

If you can talk about the weather in Mandarin, you can survive a surprising amount of real life: checking the forecast, complaining politely, making plans, and pretending you are not melting at the bus stop. This guide teaches practical Traditional Chinese weather vocabulary with pinyin, English meanings, and real example sentences you can actually use.

For the broader learning path, visit our parent guide.

Weather talk is everywhere in Taiwan. People ask about 今天冷不冷 (jīntiān lěng bù lěng, “Is it cold today?”), check the rain before leaving home, and grumble about humidity like it is a personality trait. Fair enough.

By the end, you will know useful words for sun, rain, clouds, wind, storms, temperatures, and common weather phrases. You will also get simple sentence patterns, so the words do not just sit there looking pretty and useless.

For extra practice, you can pair this lesson with the Traditional Chinese vocabulary test and the broader basic words and phrases guide. If you want more nature words after this, nature vocabulary in Traditional Chinese is the natural next stop.

Table of Contents

Core Weather Words

Here are the most useful weather words first. These are the words you will hear in daily conversation, weather apps, and everyone’s dramatic commentary about the sky.

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
天氣	tiānqì	weather	今天的天氣很好。	Jīntiān de tiānqì hěn hǎo.	The weather is very good today.
氣溫	qìwēn	air temperature	今天的氣溫有點高。	Jīntiān de qìwēn yǒudiǎn gāo.	Today’s temperature is a bit high.
溫度	wēndù	temperature	明天溫度會下降。	Míngtiān wēndù huì xiàjiàng.	The temperature will drop tomorrow.
晴天	qíngtiān	sunny day	週末可能是晴天。	Zhōumò kěnéng shì qíngtiān.	The weekend may be sunny.
陰天	yīntiān	cloudy day, overcast	今天是陰天，看起來快要下雨了。	Jīntiān shì yīntiān, kàn qǐlái kuài yào xià yǔ le.	It is overcast today, and it looks like it will rain soon.
下雨	xià yǔ	to rain	外面正在下雨。	Wàimiàn zhèngzài xià yǔ.	It is raining outside.
下雪	xià xuě	to snow	台灣很少下雪。	Táiwān hěn shǎo xià xuě.	It rarely snows in Taiwan.
刮風	guā fēng	to be windy, to blow wind	今天風很大，外出要小心。	Jīntiān fēng hěn dà, wàichū yào xiǎoxīn.	The wind is strong today, so be careful if you go out.
風	fēng	wind	晚上風有點涼。	Wǎnshàng fēng yǒudiǎn liáng.	The wind feels a bit cool at night.
雲	yún	cloud	天空有很多雲。	Tiānkōng yǒu hěn duō yún.	There are many clouds in the sky.
太陽	tàiyáng	sun	太陽很大，記得擦防曬。	Tàiyáng hěn dà, jìde cā fángshài.	The sun is strong, so remember sunscreen.
雷	léi	thunder	外面打雷了。	Wàimiàn dǎ léi le.	It is thundering outside.
閃電	shǎndiàn	lightning	剛才看到閃電。	Gāngcái kàn dào shǎndiàn.	I just saw lightning.
空氣	kōngqì	air	今天空氣很悶。	Jīntiān kōngqì hěn mēn.	The air feels stuffy today.
濕度	shīdù	humidity	台北的濕度很高。	Táiběi de shīdù hěn gāo.	The humidity in Taipei is high.
悶熱	mēnrè	hot and humid, muggy	夏天常常又悶熱又潮濕。	Xiàtiān chángcháng yòu mēnrè yòu cháoshī.	Summer is often hot, humid, and sticky.
潮濕	cháoshī	damp, humid	雨季的空氣很潮濕。	Yǔjì de kōngqì hěn cháoshī.	The air in the rainy season is very humid.
乾燥	gānzào	dry	冬天北部有時候比較乾燥。	Dōngtiān běibù yǒushíhòu bǐjiào gānzào.	In winter, northern Taiwan is sometimes drier.
涼	liáng	cool, pleasantly cool	早上很涼。	Zǎoshang hěn liáng.	The morning is pleasantly cool.
冷	lěng	cold	晚上有點冷。	Wǎnshàng yǒudiǎn lěng.	It is a little cold at night.

Useful Weather Phrases For Real Life

These phrases are the ones that show up in everyday conversation. Notice how often Mandarin uses simple patterns like 今天很… or 外面在…. Very efficient. Very honest. No dramatic poetry required.

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
今天天氣很好	jīntiān tiānqì hěn hǎo	The weather is good today.	今天天氣很好，我想去公園走走。	Jīntiān tiānqì hěn hǎo, wǒ xiǎng qù gōngyuán zǒu zǒu.	The weather is nice today, so I want to go for a walk in the park.
今天很熱	jīntiān hěn rè	It is hot today.	今天很熱，記得多喝水。	Jīntiān hěn rè, jìde duō hē shuǐ.	It is hot today, so remember to drink more water.
今天很冷	jīntiān hěn lěng	It is cold today.	今天很冷，最好穿外套。	Jīntiān hěn lěng, zuìhǎo chuān wàitào.	It is cold today, so it is best to wear a jacket.
快要下雨了	kuài yào xià yǔ le	It is about to rain.	天空那麼黑，快要下雨了。	Tiānkōng nàme hēi, kuài yào xià yǔ le.	The sky is so dark; it is about to rain.
正在下雨	zhèngzài xià yǔ	It is raining right now.	外面正在下雨，我不能出門。	Wàimiàn zhèngzài xià yǔ, wǒ bù néng chūmén.	It is raining outside right now, so I cannot go out.
雨下得很大	yǔ xià de hěn dà	It is raining heavily.	今天下午雨下得很大。	Jīntiān xiàwǔ yǔ xià de hěn dà.	This afternoon it rained heavily.
風很大	fēng hěn dà	The wind is strong.	今天風很大，騎車要小心。	Jīntiān fēng hěn dà, qíchē yào xiǎoxīn.	The wind is strong today, so be careful when riding a scooter.
天氣變了	tiānqì biàn le	The weather changed.	剛剛還很晴，現在天氣變了。	Gānggāng hái hěn qíng, xiànzài tiānqì biàn le.	It was sunny just now, but the weather changed.
天氣預報	tiānqì yùbào	weather forecast	我每天早上都看天氣預報。	Wǒ měitiān zǎoshang dōu kàn tiānqì yùbào.	I check the weather forecast every morning.
今天幾度？	jīntiān jǐ dù?	What is the temperature today?	今天幾度？我不知道要不要穿外套。	Jīntiān jǐ dù? Wǒ bù zhīdào yào bù yào chuān wàitào.	What is the temperature today? I do not know whether to wear a jacket.
有風嗎？	yǒu fēng ma?	Is it windy?	外面有風嗎？	Wàimiàn yǒu fēng ma?	Is it windy outside?
會下雨嗎？	huì xià yǔ ma?	Will it rain?	明天會下雨嗎？	Míngtiān huì xià yǔ ma?	Will it rain tomorrow?
台灣的夏天很悶熱	Táiwān de xiàtiān hěn mēnrè	Taiwan’s summer is hot and humid.	台灣的夏天很悶熱，所以大家很愛吹冷氣。	Táiwān de xiàtiān hěn mēnrè, suǒyǐ dàjiā hěn ài chuī lěngqì.	Taiwan’s summer is hot and humid, so people really love air conditioning.
早晚溫差大	zǎo wǎn wēnchā dà	The temperature difference between morning and night is big.	山區早晚溫差大，要帶外套。	Shānqū zǎo wǎn wēnchā dà, yào dài wàitào.	Mountain areas have a big temperature difference between morning and night, so bring a jacket.
出門前看一下天氣	chūmén qián kàn yíxià tiānqì	Check the weather before going out.	出門前看一下天氣，比淋雨好。	Chūmén qián kàn yíxià tiānqì, bǐ lín yǔ hǎo.	It is better to check the weather before going out than to get soaked.

Sun, Rain, Clouds, And Wind

Weather vocabulary gets easier when you group it by category. Your brain likes patterns. Very picky, but useful.

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
太陽	tàiyáng	sun	太陽出來了。	Tàiyáng chūlái le.	The sun came out.
陽光	yángguāng	sunlight	陽光很刺眼。	Yángguāng hěn cìyǎn.	The sunlight is very bright.
曬太陽	shài tàiyáng	to bask in the sun	我喜歡早上去曬太陽。	Wǒ xǐhuān zǎoshang qù shài tàiyáng.	I like to go bask in the sun in the morning.
雲	yún	cloud	天空的雲很多。	Tiānkōng de yún hěn duō.	There are many clouds in the sky.
白雲	báiyún	white cloud	白雲飄在天空中。	Báiyún piāo zài tiānkōng zhōng.	White clouds float in the sky.
烏雲	wūyún	dark cloud	烏雲越來越多了。	Wūyún yuè lái yuè duō le.	There are more and more dark clouds.
風	fēng	wind	今天的風很舒服。	Jīntiān de fēng hěn shūfu.	Today’s wind feels comfortable.
微風	wēifēng	breeze	海邊吹著微風。	Hǎibiān chuī zhe wēifēng.	A breeze is blowing at the beach.
強風	qiángfēng	strong wind	今天有強風特報。	Jīntiān yǒu qiángfēng tèbào.	There is a strong wind warning today.
陣風	zhènfēng	gust of wind	陣風很強，走路不太穩。	Zhènfēng hěn qiáng, zǒulù bù tài wěn.	The gusts are strong, so walking is a bit unstable.
打雷	dǎ léi	to thunder	外面一直打雷。	Wàimiàn yìzhí dǎ léi.	It keeps thundering outside.
閃電	shǎndiàn	lightning	閃電照亮了天空。	Shǎndiàn zhàoliàng le tiānkōng.	Lightning lit up the sky.

Rain And Storm Vocabulary

Rain in Taiwan is not just rain. Sometimes it is a quick shower, sometimes a full drama episode, and sometimes it arrives exactly when you forgot your umbrella. Naturally.

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
雨	yǔ	rain	今天的雨很大。	Jīntiān de yǔ hěn dà.	The rain is heavy today.
下雨	xià yǔ	to rain	下午開始下雨。	Xiàwǔ kāishǐ xià yǔ.	It started to rain in the afternoon.
雨天	yǔtiān	rainy day	雨天不適合騎腳踏車。	Yǔtiān bù shìhé qí jiǎotàchē.	A rainy day is not suitable for riding a bicycle.
下大雨	xià dàyǔ	to rain heavily	昨天晚上下大雨。	Zuótiān wǎnshàng xià dàyǔ.	It rained heavily last night.
毛毛雨	máomáoyǔ	drizzle	外面只是毛毛雨，不用太擔心。	Wàimiàn zhǐshì máomáoyǔ, bú yòng tài dānxīn.	It is only drizzling outside, so no need to worry too much.
陣雨	zhènyǔ	shower	午後常常有陣雨。	Wǔhòu chángcháng yǒu zhènyǔ.	There are often showers in the afternoon.
暴雨	bàoyǔ	rainstorm, torrential rain	暴雨來得又快又猛。	Bàoyǔ lái de yòu kuài yòu měng.	The rainstorm came fast and hard.
雷雨	léiyǔ	thunderstorm	今天有雷雨的可能。	Jīntiān yǒu léiyǔ de kěnéng.	There is a chance of thunderstorms today.
颱風	táifēng	typhoon	颱風天學校可能會停課。	Táifēng tiān xuéxiào kěnéng huì tíngkè.	Schools may suspend classes on typhoon days.
豪雨	háoyǔ	heavy rain	今天有豪雨特報。	Jīntiān yǒu háoyǔ tèbào.	There is a heavy rain warning today.
積水	jīshuǐ	standing water, water accumulation	路上有積水，走路要小心。	Lùshàng yǒu jīshuǐ, zǒulù yào xiǎoxīn.	There is standing water on the road, so walk carefully.
淹水	yānshuǐ	to flood	這一帶下大雨時容易淹水。	Zhè yídài xià dàyǔ shí róngyì yānshuǐ.	This area is prone to flooding when it rains heavily.

Temperature And Feeling Words

Weather is not only about what is happening outside. It is also about how your body feels about it. And your body, frankly, is often dramatic.

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
熱	rè	hot	現在很熱。	Xiànzài hěn rè.	It is hot now.
暖和	nuǎnhuo	warm	今天很暖和。	Jīntiān hěn nuǎnhuo.	It is warm today.
涼快	liángkuai	cool and comfortable	晚上很涼快。	Wǎnshàng hěn liángkuai.	It is cool and comfortable at night.
冷	lěng	cold	山上很冷。	Shānshàng hěn lěng.	It is cold on the mountain.
冰冷	bīnglěng	icy cold	冬天的水很冰冷。	Dōngtiān de shuǐ hěn bīnglěng.	The water is icy cold in winter.
悶	mēn	stuffy	房間裡很悶。	Fángjiān lǐ hěn mēn.	The room is stuffy.
悶熱	mēnrè	hot and humid	今天又悶熱又潮濕。	Jīntiān yòu mēnrè yòu cháoshī.	Today is hot, humid, and sticky.
舒服	shūfu	comfortable	這個天氣很舒服。	Zhège tiānqì hěn shūfu.	This weather feels comfortable.
寒冷	hánlěng	very cold	高山地區很寒冷。	Gāoshān dìqū hěn hánlěng.	High mountain areas are very cold.
炎熱	yánrè	very hot	夏天常常非常炎熱。	Xiàtiān chángcháng fēicháng yánrè.	Summer is often extremely hot.
微涼	wēiliáng	slightly cool	清晨有點微涼。	Qīngchén yǒudiǎn wēiliáng.	The early morning is a little cool.
冷氣	lěngqì	air conditioning	天氣太熱，所以大家都開冷氣。	Tiānqì tài rè, suǒyǐ dàjiā dōu kāi lěngqì.	The weather is too hot, so everyone turns on the air conditioning.

Seasons And Time Of Day

Weather words often show up with seasons and parts of the day. This is useful for describing everyday life, travel, and schedules.

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
春天	chūntiān	spring	春天天氣通常很舒服。	Chūntiān tiānqì tōngcháng hěn shūfu.	Spring weather is usually comfortable.
夏天	xiàtiān	summer	夏天很熱。	Xiàtiān hěn rè.	Summer is hot.
秋天	qiūtiān	autumn	秋天比較涼快。	Qiūtiān bǐjiào liángkuai.	Autumn is cooler.
冬天	dōngtiān	winter	冬天有時候會很冷。	Dōngtiān yǒushíhòu huì hěn lěng.	Winter can sometimes be very cold.
早上	zǎoshang	morning	早上比較涼。	Zǎoshang bǐjiào liáng.	The morning is cooler.
中午	zhōngwǔ	noon	中午最熱。	Zhōngwǔ zuì rè.	Noon is the hottest time.
下午	xiàwǔ	afternoon	下午可能會下雨。	Xiàwǔ kěnéng huì xià yǔ.	It may rain in the afternoon.
晚上	wǎnshàng	evening, night	晚上風很大。	Wǎnshàng fēng hěn dà.	The wind is strong at night.
清晨	qīngchén	early morning	清晨的空氣很好。	Qīngchén de kōngqì hěn hǎo.	The air is good in the early morning.
午後	wǔhòu	afternoon, after noon	午後常有陣雨。	Wǔhòu cháng yǒu zhènyǔ.	There are often afternoon showers.

Weather Forecast And Warning Words

If you live somewhere with typhoons, you really want these words. Not because they are glamorous. Because the sky occasionally gets very serious.

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
預報	yùbào	forecast	今天的天氣預報說會下雨。	Jīntiān de tiānqì yùbào shuō huì xià yǔ.	Today’s forecast says it will rain.
特報	tèbào	special report, warning bulletin	氣象局發出豪雨特報。	Qìxiàngjú fāchū háoyǔ tèbào.	The weather bureau issued a heavy rain warning.
氣象局	qìxiàngjú	weather bureau	我看氣象局的預報。	Wǒ kàn qìxiàngjú de yùbào.	I check the weather bureau forecast.
警報	jǐngbào	warning, alert	今天有颱風警報。	Jīntiān yǒu táifēng jǐngbào.	There is a typhoon warning today.
颱風假	táifēng jià	typhoon day off	如果放颱風假，大家都很開心。	Rúguǒ fàng táifēng jià, dàjiā dōu hěn kāixīn.	If there is a typhoon day off, everyone is happy.
停止上班上課	tíngzhǐ shàngbān shàngkè	work and school are suspended	今天可能會停止上班上課。	Jīntiān kěnéng huì tíngzhǐ shàngbān shàngkè.	Work and school may be suspended today.
注意安全	zhùyì ānquán	pay attention to safety	下雨天騎車要注意安全。	Xiàyǔ tiān qíchē yào zhùyì ānquán.	Be careful when riding in the rain.

Grammar Patterns You Will Actually Use

Weather sentences in Mandarin are usually short and simple. Good news: no one expects you to write a poetry collection about humidity.

Pattern	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Pinyin	English
今天很 + adjective	Today is very…	今天很熱。	Jīntiān hěn rè.	It is hot today.
外面在 + verb	Outside is currently…	外面在下雨。	Wàimiàn zài xià yǔ.	It is raining outside.
快要 + verb + 了	about to…	快要下雨了。	Kuài yào xià yǔ le.	It is about to rain.
有點 + adjective	a little bit…	今天有點冷。	Jīntiān yǒudiǎn lěng.	It is a little cold today.
越來越 + adjective	more and more…	天氣越來越熱了。	Tiānqì yuè lái yuè rè le.	The weather is getting hotter and hotter.
…得很	very…	風大得很。	Fēng dà de hěn.	The wind is very strong.
可能會 + verb	may…	明天可能會下雨。	Míngtiān kěnéng huì xià yǔ.	It may rain tomorrow.
如果…，就…	If…, then…	如果下雨，我就不出門。	Rúguǒ xià yǔ, wǒ jiù bù chūmén.	If it rains, I will not go out.

Useful Notes On Taiwan Usage

Some weather words are especially useful in Taiwan because the climate likes to keep people humble.

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
梅雨	méiyǔ	plum rain, rainy season	台灣的梅雨季很潮濕。	Táiwān de méiyǔ jì hěn cháoshī.	Taiwan’s plum rain season is very humid.
梅雨季	méiyǔ jì	plum rain season	梅雨季常常連續下雨。	Méiyǔ jì chángcháng liánxù xià yǔ.	During plum rain season, it often rains continuously.
颱風季	táifēng jì	typhoon season	颱風季要多注意新聞。	Táifēng jì yào duō zhùyì xīnwén.	During typhoon season, pay more attention to the news.
冷氣房	lěngqì fáng	air-conditioned room	外面很熱，我想待在冷氣房裡。	Wàimiàn hěn rè, wǒ xiǎng dāi zài lěngqì fáng lǐ.	It is hot outside, and I want to stay in an air-conditioned room.
騎車	qíchē	to ride a scooter/bike	下雨天騎車很不方便。	Xiàyǔ tiān qíchē hěn bù fāngbiàn.	Riding a scooter in the rain is inconvenient.

For a quick official reference on weather-related language and general vocabulary lists, you can also check the boring-but-useful 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本. Yes, it is delightfully unflashy. That is the point.

Mini Practice

Say the sentence in Chinese. Then check the answer below each one. Tiny effort, big payoff. A classic learning scam, but in a good way.

It is raining. → 正在下雨。 Zhèngzài xià yǔ.
It is hot today. → 今天很熱。 Jīntiān hěn rè.
It is about to rain. → 快要下雨了。 Kuài yào xià yǔ le.
The wind is strong. → 風很大。 Fēng hěn dà.
The weather is good today. → 今天天氣很好。 Jīntiān tiānqì hěn hǎo.
Check the weather forecast before going out. → 出門前看一下天氣預報。 Chūmén qián kàn yíxià tiānqì yùbào.

Now try swapping the weather word:

今天很熱。 → 今天很冷。
外面在下雨。 → 外面在刮風。
快要下雨了。 → 快要天黑了。 (almost dark)

That last one is not weather vocabulary exactly, but it is the kind of thing people say when the sky suddenly looks suspicious. Mandarin likes flexible, practical phrases. Very inconvenient for your laziness, very helpful for your life.

Common Mistakes And Fixes

Common Mistake	Better Way	Why
用「天氣」說「天」	今天的天氣很好。	天氣 means weather. 天 alone means day or sky, depending on context.
說「有雨」	下雨 / 會下雨	For weather, Mandarin usually says 下雨 instead of “have rain.”
直接翻成 “very hot very hot”	非常熱 / 很熱 / 熱得不得了	English-style repetition usually sounds awkward. Mandarin has its own ways.
忘記「了」	快要下雨了。	了 often shows change or new situation. It helps the sentence feel complete.
只說「冷」 when you mean “cool”	涼快 / 涼	冷 is cold. 涼快 is pleasantly cool.
用「氣溫」和「溫度」亂換	Both are possible, but 氣溫 is common for weather reports.	溫度 is broader; 氣溫 is more specific to air temperature.
忘記台灣常見情況	台灣的夏天很悶熱。	In Taiwan, humidity matters a lot. Dry heat and humid heat are not the same beast.

If you want a short weather check sentence, this pattern is a lifesaver:

今天 + 天氣 + 很 + adjective is the easiest weather sentence pattern for beginners.

Quick Reference Summary

天氣 (tiānqì) = weather
晴天 (qíngtiān) = sunny day
陰天 (yīntiān) = overcast day
下雨 (xià yǔ) = to rain
下雪 (xià xuě) = to snow
刮風 (guā fēng) = to be windy
雷雨 (léiyǔ) = thunderstorm
悶熱 (mēnrè) = hot and humid
潮濕 (cháoshī) = humid, damp
涼快 (liángkuai) = cool and comfortable
快要下雨了 (kuài yào xià yǔ le) = It is about to rain
今天幾度？ (jīntiān jǐ dù?) = What is the temperature today?

If you want to test yourself next, try the Traditional Chinese placement test. Weather words are small, but they show up everywhere, which is annoying and helpful at the same time. Classic Mandarin behavior.

Yak takeaway: if you remember only three phrases, make them 今天很…, 正在下雨, and 快要下雨了. With those, you can sound prepared even when the sky clearly is not.